UC-NRLF 


MELON  CULTURE 


JAMES  TROOP 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


Melon  Culture 


A  Practical  Treatise 

on  the 

Principles  Involved  in  the  Production  of  Melons,  Both 

for  Home  Use  and  for  Market:  Including  a 

Chapter  on  Forcing  and  One  on  Insects 

and   Diseases    and   Means   of 

Controlling  the  Same 

By 
JAMES  TROOP 

Professor  of  Horticulture  and  Entomology 
Purdue  University,  Lafayette,  Indiana 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY 

1914 


Copyright,  1911,  by 
ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY 

All  Rights  Reserved 


PRINTED  ix  V.  vS.  A. 


PREFACE 

Melon  growing  has  come  to  be  an  industry  of  vast 
proportions  in  this  country,  few  people  having  any 
adequate  conception  of  the  extent  of  the  industry. 
There  is  scarcely  a  state  in  the  Union  in  which  the 
melon  does  not  play  a  more  or  less  conspicuous 
part  in  its  vegetable  productions.  Even  Canada, 
which  is  generally  considered  as  being  too  far  north 
for  melon  growing,  produces  some  surprisingly  fine 
melons,  especially  in  the  eastern  portion,  where 
they  are  grown  quite  extensively  under  frames.  The 
United  States  is,  however,  the  principal  field  for  out- 
door melon  culture,  and  it  is  to  this  section  mostly 
that  the  following  pages  are  intended  to  apply. 

The  results  of  the  census  of  1910  are  not  yet  avail- 
able, but,  basing  our  calculations  on  the  report  of 
the  Census  Bureau  of  1900,  and  making  a  fair  allow- 
ance for  increase  in  acreage  and  production  during 
the  last  decade,  we  now  have  in  the  United  States 
in  round  numbers  290,000  acres  devoted  to  melon 
growing.  This  is  divided  between  the  muskmelon 
and  the  watermelon  in  the  proportion  of  about  one 
to  three.  The  yearly  production,  according  to  these 
estimates,  would  be  about  175,000,000  muskmelons 
and  225,000,000  watermelons,  or  more  than  four 
melons  to  each  person  in  the  United  States.  We 
see,  therefore,  that  this  is  no  mere  market  garden 
crop,  but  that  it  covers  vast  areas.  Commercially 
speaking,  therefore,  it  may  be  classed  among  the 
farm  crops  of  the  present  day. 


M358818 


VI  PREFACE 

Twenty-five  years  ago  this  industry  was  confined 
to  a  few  southern  states  and  near  the  large  cities  of 
the  East.  The  number  of  varieties  was  also  lim- 
ited. Peter  Henderson  in  his  "  Gardening  for 
Profit,"  published  in  1891,  mentions  only  six  varie- 
ties of  muskmelons  and  ten  varieties  of  watermelons 
in  general  cultivation ;  that  number  has  since  in- 
creased many  times  over.  Methods  of  cultivation 
and  handling  the  crop  have  improved  wonderfully, 
and  while  the  yield  per  acre  is  perhaps  no  greater 
yet  the  crop  is  produced  much  more  easily  and  with 
less  expense  than  formerly.  Insects  and  diseases 
have  become  more  troublesome,  but  they  are  also 
better  known,  and,  with  possibly  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, are  more  easily  controlled. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  writer  in  the  following 
pages  to  give  the  latest  information  concerning  the 
needs  of  this  crop,  as  to  soil  and  climate,  and 
directions  for  planting  and  cultivation  which  will  ap- 
ply to  the  small  grower  for  home  use  as  well  as  to 
the  large  commercial  grower.  The  principal  species 
of  insects  and  diseases  are  also  described  and  reme- 
dies recommended  so  far  as  any  are  known.  A  list 
of  the  more  common  varieties  is  also  given. 

The  illustrations  are,  for  the  most  part,  from 
photographs  taken  in  the  melon  fields  or  from  in- 
dividual specimens  or  crates.  The  greater  portion 
of  them  were  taken  by  my  colleagues,  J.  G.  Boyle 
and  C.  G.  Woodbury,  and  some  of  them  have  been 
used  in  bulletins  published  by  the  Indiana  Experi- 
ment Station.  Figs.  14  and  21  are  from  photos 
furnished  by  D.  V.  Burrell  of  Rocky  Ford,  Colorado. 


CO  NTENTS 
CHAPTER  I 

Page 

HISTORY  AND  BOTANY  OF  THE  MELON        .  1-8 

Early  history  of  the  muskmelon  and  water- 
melon— Botany  of  each — Botanical  varie- 
ties— Structure  and  pollination  of  flowers. 

CHAPTER  II 

CONDITIONS   AFFECTING   GROWTH         .  9-13 

Climatic  conditions — Soil  conditions — Tile 
drainage — The  function  of  root  hairs. 

CHAPTER  III 

SOILS      ....  ...         14-17 

Best  soils  for  muskmelons — Best  soils  for 
watermelons. 

CHAPTER  IV 

THE  SEED 18-29 

Conditions  affecting  the  vitality  of  seeds, 
temperature,  moisture,  age,  etc — Testing 
seeds  ;  methods  employed — Selecting 
seeds;  its  influence  on  the  crop — Seeds 
from  immature  fruit — Early  vs.  late  ripen- 
ing fruits  for  seeds— Effect  of  latitude  and 
altitude  on  early  maturity. 

CHAPTER  V 

FERTILIZERS  FOR  MELONS      ....        3°-34 
Kind  and  quantity  for  different  kinds  of 
soils. 

vii 


Vlli  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI 

Page 

STARTING  THE  PLANTS  ....  35-40 
Planting  in  the  open  ground — Time  to 
plant — Use  plenty  of  seed — Starting  in 
hotbed — Planting  in  plant  boxes  or  on 
sods — Watering —  Temperature —  Starting 
in  hothouses. 

CHAPTER  VII 

CULTURAL  METHODS 41-45 

Transplanting — Plants  required  for  an 
acre — Distance  apart  for  the  hills;  for 
muskmelons  ;  for  watermelons — Cultiva- 
tion :  deep  vs.  shallow — Navy  beans  as 
anchors  for  the  vines. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  MELONS  .  46-60 
Proper  stage  of  ripening  for  harvesting  in 
order  to  preserve  quality — Protecting  the 
melons  after  picking — Packing  as  it  is 
usually  done;  as  it  should  be  done — Style 
of  package  used — Shipping  in  bulk — Mark- 
ing the  package  with  grower's  name  and 
address — Marketing — Conditions  affecting 
the  profits — Number  of  watermelons  re- 
quired to  fill  a  car — Extent  of  the  melon 
business. 

CHAPTER  IX 

FORCING  MELONS 61-67 

Some  of  the  necessary  requirements  foi 
forcing  melons — The  forcing  house — The 
soil  for  the  house:  how  made — Watering: 
sub  vs.  surface  irrigation — Planting  the 


CONTENTS  IX 

Page 

seeds — Time  for  early  and  late  crop — 
Training  to  strings  or  wires — Fertilizing 
the  blossoms — Market — Varieties — Insects 
—Diseases. 

CHAPTER  X 

INSECTS  AND  DISEASES          ....        68-69 
The  common  forms,  with  remedies — Mice 
and  gophers  or  ground  squirrels — Fungous 
and  bacterial  diseases  of  melons — Disease- 
resistant  plants. 

CHAPTER  XI 

LIST  OF  VARIETIES  .  .  .  .  .  90-101 
A  description  of  fifty-five  varieties  of 
muskmelons  grown  out-of-doors  and  nine 
foreign  varieties — A  list  of  good  forcing 
varieties  grown  in  this  country — A  de- 
scription of  forty-six  varieties  of  water- 
melons. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Figure  Page 

A  fine  field  of  muskmelons — Frontispiece. 

1.  Muskmelon    vine,    showing    female    blos- 

som at  a,  and  male  blossom  at  b.          .3 

2.  Section  of  watermelon  field   in  the   Ohio 

valley  which  yielded  $150  per  acre.       16 

3.  Seed-testing1  box  filled  with  corn  after  the 

melon  seeds  had  germinated         .  21 

4.  A  poor  Netted  Gem,  the  result  of  haphaz- 

ard selection  of  seed  melons         .         .     23 

5.  A  much  better  type  than  Fig.  4        .         .24 

6.  A  bunch  of  well-grown  Rattlesnakes  .         .     32 

7.  Hotbeds  where  the  melon  seeds  are  started     38 

8.  This  is  easier  than  watering  by  hand         .     30 

9.  Hauling  the  plants  to  the  field  for  trans- 

planting           43 

TO.     A  thoroughbred  Rocky  Ford       .         .         -47 

IT.     Harvesting  cantaloupes  and  hauling  them 

to  market 49 

T2.     A  typical  packing  shed       .         .         .         .50 
T3.     Some  different  styles  of  packages      .         .     54 

14.  A  fine  bunch  of  Burrell  Gems;    note    the 

uniformity  of  size,  shape  and  netting     56 

15.  A  handy  screen  for  fencing  out  the  striped 

beetle 71 

T6.     A  field  of  Tip  Tops  nearly  ruined  by  the 

bacterial   wilt         .         .         .         .         .80 

xi 


Xll  LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Figure  Page 

17.  A  field  of  melons  destroyed  by  the  rust      .     84 

18.  The  rust  may  be  held  in  check  by  spray- 

ing with  the  bordeaux  mixture    .         .     85 

19.  A  rust-resistant  Rocky  Ford ;  note  the  fine 

netting 87 

20.  A  well-sprayed  melon  vine  .         .         .         .88 

21.  The  Rocky  Ford  is  a  favorite  variety  with 

most  growers 90 

22.  A  trio  of  Tip  Tops  from  the  Ohio  valley    .     91 


CHAPTER  I 
HISTORY  AND   BOTANY   OF  THE  MELON 

Both  the  muskmelon  and  the  watermelon  are 
natives  of  tropical  countries,  where  the  muskmelon, 
in  particular,  has  been  cultivated  from  the  earliest 
period  of  which  we  have  any  record.  The  musk- 
melon is  a  native  of  southern  Asia,  where  it  was 
known  to  and  cultivated  by  the  Israelites  before  the 
time  of  Moses.  During  their  travels  through  the 
wilderness,  where  they  were  fed  by  the  manna  from 
heaven,  they  became  impatient  and  said  to  Moses, 
"  We  remember  the  fish,  which  we  did  eat  freely, 
the  cucumbers,  and  the  melons."  And  Isaiah,  in 
speaking  of  the  desolation  of  Judah,  says,  "  The 
daughter  of  Zion  is  left  as  a  cottage  in  the  vineyard, 
as  a  lodge  in  the  garden  of  cucumbers." 

It  would  seem  from  the  foregoing  that  the  cucum- 
ber and  the  melon  were  cultivated  together  then 
as  now.  Some  writers,  however,  think  that  the 
cucumbers  mentioned  were  really  melons,  although 
both  are  mentioned.  It  is  very  probable  that  in 
those  early  times  the  names  were  used  interchange- 
ably, inasmuch  as  the  two  are  so  closely  related. 
From  Asia  the  muskmelon  was  introduced  into 
Europe  at  about  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era. 
At  about  the  same  time  the  watermelon  was  brought 
into  Europe  from  the  southern  or  central  portion  of 
Africa,  its  native  habitat,  from  whence  it  has  kept 
pace  with  the  muskmelon  in  its  journeys  into  all 
of  the  tropical  and  semitropical  countries  of  the  civ- 
ilized world. 


2  MELON    CULTURE 

Melons  have  been  grown  in  the  United  States 
from  its  early  history,  but  until  comparatively  recent 
times  their  culture  was  confined  to  the  eastern  and 
southeastern  states  along  the  southern  coast.  In 
some  of  the  writings  of  the  early  part  of  the  last 
century  mention  is  made1  of  a  number  of  varieties 
having  been  shown  at  the  exhibition  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural  Society;  and  in  1851  the 
same  author  speaks  of  the  Christiana  melon  as  hav- 
ing been  raised  by  Captain  Josiah  Lovett  from  a 
green  Malta  melon  impregnated  with  a  very  early 
variety,  and  it  was  believed  that  it  had  not  been 
equaled.  In  order  to  show  their  appreciation  of  its 
merits,  the  society  awarded  Captain  Lovett  a  piece 
of  plate  of  the  value  of  $50.  A  little  later,  melons 
weighing  from  40  to  50  pounds  were  exhibited,  and 
the  quality  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  Within 
the  last  50  years  the  cultivation  and  improvement 
of  the  melon  has  steadily  increased,  and  the  number 
of  varieties  which  are  suited  to  different  soils  and 
climates  has  gradually  grown,  until  the  United 
States  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  largest  melon- 
growing  country  in  the  world. 

Botany. — The  muskmelon  and  the  watermelon 
both  belong  to  the  natural  order  Cucurbitacea,  from 
the  Latin,  Cncurbita,  meaning  a  gourd.  This  order2 
contains  plants  that  are  mostly  tendril-bearing 
herbs,  with  succulent  but  not  fleshy  herbage,  watery 
juice,  alternate  palmately  ribbed  and  mostly  lobed 
or  angled  leaves,  monoecious  or  sometimes  dioe- 
cious flowers;  monoecious,  when  flowers  of  both 
sexes  are  borne  upon  the  same  plant  but  only  one 

1  "History  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society." 
"Gray's  "Botany." 


HISTORY    AND    BOTANY   OF   THE    MELON  3 

sex  in  the  same  flower;  dioecious,  when  the  two 
sexes  are  borne  on  different  plants,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  poplars,  willows,  etc.,  in  which  case  one 
plant  is  fertile  and  the  other  is  sterile,  although 
both  are  necessary  to  the  production  of  fruit. 

In  the  melons,  the  flowers  are  usually  monoecious, 
the  calyx  coherent  with  the  ovary,  corolla  more 
commonly  monopetalous — united  into  one — and 
stamens  usually  three,  of  which  one  has  a  one- 
celled,  the  others  two-celled  anthers,  but  the  an- 


Fig.  1.    Muskmelon  vine  showing  female  blossom  at  a,  and  male 
blossom  at  b. 


thers  are  commonly  tortuous,  twisted  and  often  all 
combined  in  a  head  and  the  filaments  sometimes  all 
united  in  a  tube  or  column.  In  the  muskmelon, 
the  sterile  or  male  flowers  are  borne  in  clusters  with 
short  stems,  the  fertile  ones  are  solitary  and  mostly 
on  short  stems  in  the  axil  of  the  leaves.  (See  Fig. 
i.)  In  the  watermelon  the  two  kinds  of  flowers 
are  solitary  in  the  axil  of  the  leaves. 

The  muskmelon  belongs  to  the  genus  Cucumis,  to 
which  belongs  the  cultivated  cucumber  of  our  gar- 
dens, and  Linnaeus  gave  it  the  specific  name  Melo. 
Cncnmis  melo  is  therefore  its  botanical  name.  Its 


4  MELON    CULTURE 

leaves  differ  somewhat  from  those  of  the  water- 
melon in  that  they  are  roundish,  heart-shaped  or 
kidney-shaped,  the  lobes  being-  rounded,  while  those 
of  the  watermelon  are  deeply  three  to  five-lobed, 
and  the  divisions  again  lobed  or  sinuate  pinnatificl, 
pale  or  bluish.  The  fruit  is  of  varying  size,  with  a 
more  or  less  hard  rind  and  sweet  flesh,  the  edible 
part  being  the  inner  portion  of  the  pericarp,  the  thin 
and  watery  placentae  being  discarded  with  the 
seeds. 

There  are  a  number  of  more  or  less  distinct 
botanical  varieties,  which  are  classified  according  to 
the  shape,  size  and  character  of  the  fruits,  some  of 
which  are  cultivated  more  for  ornament  or  as  curi- 
osities than  for  domestic  use.  The  first  two  of  these 
varieties  mentioned  below  include  the  greater  por- 
tion of  our  commonly  cultivated  muskmelons,  and 
formerly  served  to  separate  them  into  two  groups ; 
viz.,  cantaloupes  and  nutmegs,  but  these  names  are 
now  often  misapplied  by  the  general  public,  and  the 
two  groups  have  become  so  confused  that  it  is  now 
scarcely  possible  to  separate  them ;  in  fact,  the 
strictly  pure  cantaloupe  is  not  grown  much  in  this 
country.  Our  cultivated  varieties,  which  com- 
monly go  by  the  name  of  cantaloupes,  are  really 
nutmegs;  but  if  one  wishes  to  be  perfectly  proper 
in  speaking  of  them,  he  should  call  them  all  musk- 
melons,  and  let  that  suffice. 

BOTANICAL  VARIETIES 

Variety  Cantaloup cnsis  is  the  cantaloupe.  The 
fruits  are  usually  hard-rined,  more  or  less  rough- 
ened or  warty  and  often  with  deep  furrows  running 


HISTORY   AND   BOTANY    OF   THE    MELON  5 

lengthwise.  The  name  is  derived  from  Cantalupo, 
near  Rome,  a  former  country  seat  of  the  Pope, 
whither  this  type  of  melon  was  brought  from 
Armenia.1  In  this  country,  as  stated  above,  the 
name  cantaloupe  is  often  applied  to  muskmelons  in 
general,  no  distinction  being  made  between  varie- 
ties, whereas  it  should  only  be  used  in  connection 
with  those  having  a  hard,  scaly  rind. 

Variety  Reticulatiis  includes  the  nutmeg  or  netted 
melons.  Here  the  rind  is  more  or  less  soft,  netted 
or  sometimes  smooth.  The  Emerald  Gem  is  a  good 
example. 

Variety  Flexuosus  is  the  so-called  Snake  Melon  or 
Snake  Cucumber.  The  fruits  are  long  and  slender, 
variously  curved,  nearly  green  when  ripe,  some- 
times two  and  one-half  to  three  feet  in  length  and 
about  three  inches  in  diameter.  It  is  sometimes 
used  by  the  housewife  in  making  preserves. 

Variety  Chito  goes  by  various  names:  Orange 
Melon,  Mango  Melon,  Melon  Apple,  Garden  Lemon, 
Vegetable  Orange,  etc.  It  is  smaller  and  more  deli- 
cate in  vine  than  the  common  muskmelon  and,  as 
the  name  indicates,  the  fruits  are  much  the  shape 
and  size  of  an  orange,  yellow  in  color,  without 
markings,  and  without  the  characteristic  melon 
odor.  They  are  used  only  in  making  preserves. 

Variety  Inodorous  includes  the  winter  melons. 
The  leaves  are  lighter  in  color  and  less  hairy  than 
the  ordinary  melon.  The  fruit  is  mainly  noted  for 
its  keeping  qualities,  as  with  proper  attention  it 
may  be  kept  well  into  winter.  This  variety  is  not 
very  well  known  in  the  United  States,  where  there 
are  so  many  superior  varieties,  and  so  its  culture  is 

1  "Encyclopedia  of  Horticulture," 


6  MELON    CULTURE 

limited,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  countries  border- 
ing on  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

The  Watermelon  belongs  to  the  genus  Citrullns, 
the  name  coming  from  the  Latin  word  Citrus,  mean- 
ing an  orange  or  citron.  Its  specific  name  is  vul- 
garis,  signifying  the  common  melon ;  hence,  Citrullus 
vulgaris  is  its  botanical  name.  The  edible  pulp  of 
the  fruit,  in  which  the  dark  seeds  are  imbedded, 
consists  of  the  large  and  juicy  placentae,  which  are 
usually  reddish  in  color.  The  so-called  citron  of  the 
garden  is  a  variety  of  the  above  species  with  a  hard 
and  firm  flesh,  which  is  used  for  making  preserves. 

Fertilization  of  the  Flowers. — By  referring  again 
to  the  description  of  the  flowers,  it  will  be  seen  that 
plants  belonging  to  either  of  these  groups  must  de- 
pend upon  some  outside  agency  for  pollination,  as 
the  pollen  must  necessarily  be  carried  some  dis- 
tance before  it  can  come  in  contact  with  the  pistil. 
In  nature  this  is  amply  provided  for  by  bees  and 
other  insects,  which  visit  the  flowers  for  the  pur- 
pose of  gathering  the  nectar  or  pollen,  and  also  by 
the  wind,  which  carries  the  pollen  for  a  considerable 
distance  and  deposits  it  upon  the  pistils.  It  is  not  a 
good  plan,  however,  to  depend  upon  the  wind  en- 
tirely for  pollination,  as  experiments  have  proven 
that  in  many  instances  where  the  insects  were  ex- 
cluded from  the  blossoms,  no  fertilization  took  place 
and  the  crop  was  a  failure,  although  the  wind  had 
free  access  to  the  flowers.  It  is  a  good  plan,  there- 
fore, for  the  melon  grower  to  combine  bee  keeping 
with  his  melon  growing,  as  this  will  nearly  always 
insure  a  good  stand  of  fruit. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  just  as  the  blossoms 
are  beginning  to  appear  and  are  nearly  ready  for 


HISTORY   AXD    BOTANY    OF   THE    MELON  7 

the  pollen  there  comes  a  time  of  long-continued 
rainy  weather,  which  prevents  the  bees  from  work- 
ing or  the  wind  from  blowing  the  pollen.  This  may 
result  in  the  crop  being  later  than  usual,  or  it  may 
cause  a  break  in  the  continuity  of  ripening  later  on. 
As  a  general  thing,  however,  a  rain  which  lasts 
only  a  day  or  two  will  have  but  little  or  no  effect 
upon  the  fertilization  of  the  flowers,  because  nature 
has  provided  for  just  such  emergencies,  and  so  if  the 
pollen  is  not  there  when  the  pistil  is  ready  to  re- 
ceive it,  it  simply  waits  for  a  reasonable  length  of 
time  until  it  can  be  served.  This  can  be  shown 
very  nicely  by  observing  the  common,  cultivated 
carnation  as  grown  in  the  greenhouse.  If  pollen  be 
applied  to  the  pistil  as  soon  as  it  is  ready  for  it, 
the  blossom  will  wither  and  dry  up  within  two 
days ;  whereas,  if  the  pollen  is  withheld,  it  will  re- 
main open  for  two  weeks,  simply  waiting  for  nature 
to  perform  her  duty. 

Forcing  melons,  or  those  which  are  grown  in  the 
greenhouse  or  forcing  houses,  must  be  hand  pollin- 
ized,  as  there  are  no  insects  and  very  little  wind  to 
distribute  the  pollen.  Hand  pollination  is  easily 
performed  by  simply  taking  a  piece  of  clean  glass 
and  holding  it  under  the  mature  male  flowers.  Then, 
by  gently  tapping  the  flower  with  a  stick  or  lead 
pencil,  the  pollen  will  be  jarred  off  on  to  the  glass. 
It  will  require  several  flowers  to  produce  sufficient 
pollen  to  make  the  work  easy  and  absolutely  cer- 
tain. Then,  with  a  small  camel's-hair  brush,  brush 
the  pollen  into  a  little  heap  and  dip  the  end  of  the 
pistil  into  it.  If  the  pistils  are  ready  to  receive  it, 
one  application  will  be  sufficient,  but  in  order  to  be 


8  MELON    CULTURE 

absolutely  certain,  another  application  may  be  made 
the  next  day. 

As  said  before,  however,  the  pistils  will  remain  in 
a  receptive  condition  for  some  time  if  necessary. 
This  fact  makes  it  very  convenient  for  the  experi- 
menter who  wishes  to  cross-fertilize  varieties  of 
melons,  for  all  that  is  necessary  is  for  him  to  select 
his  female  blossoms,  or  buds,  and  cover  them,  just 
before  they  open,  with  paper  sacks,  leaving  them  on 
until  the  blossoms  are  fully  open  in  order  to  pre- 
vent them  from  becoming  pollinized  from  an  un- 
known source.  Now  get  the  pollen  in  the  manner 
indicated  from,  the  variety  you  wish  to  use  as  the 
male  parent,  slip  off  the  cover  and  apply  it  to  the 
waiting  pistil  and  replace  the  covering,  leaving  it 
there  until  you  are  sure  that  fertilization  has  taken 
place.  This  is  the  method  employed  by  the  experi- 
menter when  he  wishes  to  produce  new  varieties 
by  using  parents  of  certain  definite  known  charac- 
teristics. 

Another  method  of  applying  the  pollen,  which  is 
preferred  by  some,  is  to  take  a  cameFs-hair  brush 
and  moisten  it  with  the  breath,  then  brush  it  over 
the  mature  stamens  of  the  male  blossom,  when 
enough  of  the  pollen  will  adhere  to  it  to  supply  the 
pistils  as  it  is  applied  to  them.  Others  have  good 
success  by  simply  pinching  off  the  mature  male 
flowers  and  after  removing  most  of  the  corolla,  ap- 
plying the  stamens  to  the  pistils.  There  are  various 
methods  of  performing  the  operation,  but  the  results 
are  the  same. 


CHAPTER  II 
CONDITIONS  AFFECTING  GROWTH 

Climatic  Conditions. — As  stated  in  the  previous 
chapter,  the  melon  is  strictly  a  warm-weather  plant, 
both  the  muskmelon  and  the  watermelon  coming 
from  tropical  or  subtropical  countries.  Like  many 
other  warm-weather  plants,  however,  they  have 
gradually  worked  their  way  northward,  until  they 
are  now  both  freely  grown  in  many  parts  of  the 
north  temperate  zone.  Neither  of  the  species  have, 
however,  reached  the  point  in  hardiness  where  they 
will  stand  a  temperature  which  even  approaches  the 
freezing  point. 

It  is  useless,  therefore,  to  attempt  to  grow  melons 
in  outdoor  culture  by  planting  them  before  all  dan- 
ger of  frost  is  over  and  the  minimum  temperature 
of  the  air  has  reachel  60°  or  higher.  As  will  be 
seen  farther  on,  some  time  may  be  gained  by  start- 
ing the  seeds  in  a  hotbed  or  greenhouse,  and  trans- 
planting to  the  open  ground  later  on,  but  even  this 
must  not  be  done  until  the  atmosphere  has  become 
thoroughly  warmed  up.  This  will  be  indicated  in 
different  sections  of  the  country  by  the  time  when 
Indian  corn  is  usually  planted. 

Soil  Conditions. — If  the  seeds  of  almost  any  of 
our  upland  plants  are  planted  in  soil  which  is  cold, 
or  which  has  not  been  properly  drained,  they  will 
either  rot  or  remain  in  the  soil  in  a  dormant  condi- 
tion until  it  has  reached  the  proper  temperature. 
This  is  especially  true  with  such  plants  as  those 


IO  MELON    CULTURE 

now  under  consideration.  So  it  is  generally  a  waste 
of  time  and  material  to  plant  the  seeds  before  the 
soil  is  ready  to  receive  them. 

It  is  a  custom  with  many  farmers,  especially  in 
the  corn  belt  of  the  middle  West,  to  begin  planting 
their  corn  at  a  certain  day  of  a  certain  month,  re- 
gardless of  the  fact  that  the  season  may  be  ten  days 
or  two  weeks  later  some  years  than  others.  As  a 
result,  the  farmer  is  often  obliged  to  replant  his 
corn  on  account,  as  he  claims,  of  poor  seed;  but 
by  using  the  same  kind  of  seed  for  the  second  plant- 
ing, a  good  stand  is  generally  secured,  because,  in 
the  meantime,  the  temperature,  both  of  the  soil  and 
air,  has  been  raised  to  the  point  which  the  corn 
requires  for  germination  and  rapid  growth.  Melon 
seeds  require  fully  as  high  soil  temperature  for 
germination  as  does  corn ;  in  fact,  they  are  much 
alike  in  this  respect. 

Tile  Drainage  Helps  to  Warm  Up  the  Soil. — 
There  are  large  areas  of  the  better  class  of  melon 
soils  in  the  United  States  which  do  not  need  artifi- 
cial drainage  because  both  the  soil  and  subsoil  are 
of  a  porous  nature  and  the  water  level  is  so  far  be- 
low the  surface  that  it  does  not  interfere  with  the 
warming-up  process  but  rather  accelerates  it.  In 
these  soils  the  capillary  action  is  almost  perfect, 
and  so  it  does  not  matter  much  how  dry  the  season 
is,  the  roots  of  the  plants  will  always  find  moisture 
close  at  hand.  In  many  sections,  however,  where 
melons  are  grown,  a  clayey  subsoil  underlies  the 
looser  surface  soil,  and  this  has  a  tendency  to  hold 
the  free  water  and  to  keep  the  surface  cool. 

Tile  drainage  under  such  conditions  will  assist 
very  much  in  lowering  the  water  level,  and  so  allow- 


CONDITIONS    AFFECTING    GROWTH  IT 

ing  the  excess  moisture  to  escape  and  the  warm  air 
to  penetrate  to  a  greater  depth.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  oxygen  is  as  necessary  to  the  healthy 
growth  of  these  plants  as  it  is  to  the  animal.  The 
cells  of  the  newly  formed  roots  are  filled  with  that 
life-giving  principle  called  protoplasm,  and  they 
must  have  access  to  the  oxygen  of  the  air  or  they 
will  soon  die. 

The  late  Prof.  E.  S.  GofT1  illustrates  this  in  this 
way:  Take  a  quantity  of  water  and  boil  it  for  a 
time,  so  as  to  expel  the  free  oxygen  and  then  cool 
it  quickly.  A  portion  of  it  is  then  placed  in  a  glass 
and  oil  is  poured  over  it,  so  as  to  prevent  the  re- 
absorption  of  air.  Leave  the  remainder  exposed  to 
the  air  for  some  time  until  it  has  reached  the  nor- 
mal condition.  Now  take  cuttings  from  some  free- 
rooting  plant,  like  the  geranium  or  tomato,  and 
insert  one  into  each  of  the  glasses.  In  the  glass  con- 
taining the  oil  over  the  top  the  cutting  will  soon  die, 
because  there  is  no  free  oxygen  in  the  water,  while 
the  one  in  the  other  glass,  which  has  been  left  ex- 
posed to  the  air,  will  soon  send  out  its  rootlets  and 
continue  to  grow. 

Or,  take  the  same  kinds  of  cuttings  and  place 
them  in  a  soil  where  the  free  water  is  within  six 
inches  of  the  surface.  Make  the  cuttings  long 
enough  so  that  the  lower  ends  will  extend  down 
into  the  free  water.  It  will  be  found  later  on  that 
the  cuttings  will  have  thrown  out  roots  above  the 
water  level,  but  not  from  the  ends  which  were  in  the 
soil  which  was  saturated  with  moisture  and  conse- 
quently devoid  of  free  oxygen. 

1  "Principles  of  Plant  Culture." 


12  MELON    CULTURE 

The  Function  of  Root  Hairs. — The  absorption  of 
plant  food  is  accomplished  by  means  of  very  fine 
root  hairs,  which  may  be  seen  very  nicely  on  melon 
roots  which  have  grown  between  folds  of  muslin 
or  thick  paper.  These  root  hairs  play  a  very  im- 
portant part  in  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
plant,  but  they  cannot  perform  their  natural  func- 
tion in  the  absence  of  free  air.  This  condition  ex- 
ists in  soils  that  either  contain  an  excess  of  moisture 
or  that  have  been  worked  while  they  were  in  this 
condition,  thereby  causing  them  to  bake. 

The  ideal  soil  for  this  class  of  plants,  therefore, 
must  contain  enough  plant  food  and  water  to  fully 
supply  the  plants  and  yet  be  so  porous  that  the  air 
can  circulate  through  it  and  come  in  contact  with 
the  roots.  Each  particle  of  such  a  soil  is  surrounded 
with  a  thin  film  of  water,  while  between  the  parti- 
cles are  spaces  connected  with  each  other  and  filled 
with  moist  air  that  is  in  communication  with  the 
air  above  the  soil.  The  root  hairs  apply  themselves 
intimately  to  the  wet  surfaces  of  the  soil  particles, 
or  extend  themselves  into  cavities  filled  with  sat- 
urated air,  and  are  thus  able  to  draw  in  the  well- 
aerated  soil  water  with  its  dissolved  food  constitu- 
ents in  sufficient  quantities  to  restore  the  loss  from 
transpiration  and  to  distend  the  newly  formed  cells. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  soil  is  Nature's 
great  chemical  laboratory,  in  which  many  changes 
are  going  on  constantly;  by  decomposition,  the 
countless  million,  of  plants  and  animals  are  acted 
upon  by  myriads  of  bacteria,  whereby  nitric  acid, 
which  supplies  the  higher  plants  with  their  most 
useful  food  element — nitrogen — is  formed.  The 
carbonic  acid  which  these  plants  took  from  the  air 


CONDITIONS    AFFECTING    GROWTH  13 

during  growth  is  also  set  free  to  slowly  disintegrate 
the  mineral  elements,  rendering  these  soluble  and 
available  as  plant  food.  In  winter  the  frost  acts 
upon  the  hard,  compact  particles,  separating  them 
and  making  them  permeable  to  air  and  unlocking 
new  supplies  of  plant  food  that  would  otherwise 
be  unavailable. 

Our  upland  crops  secure  a  large  portion  of  their 
nitrogen,  as  well  as  other  food  constituents,  from 
decaying  animal  and  vegetable  matter,  and  it  is  of 
very  great  importance  for  such  plants  as  melons, 
which  must  complete  their  growth  in  a  compara- 
tively short  period,  that  as  much  of  this  material  be 
made  immediately  available  as  possible.  The  appli- 
cation of  well-rotted  barn  manure  or  commercial 
fertilizers,  which  act  quickly  by  giving  up  to  the 
plant  the  necessary  food  elements  in  an  available 
form,  is,  therefore,  especially  valuable. 

Drainage  is  also  essential  in  land  that  is  inclined 
to  be  heavy  or  where  the  water  table  is  too  near 
the  surface,  because  it  serves  to  promote  aeration 
by  removing  the  surplus  water  and  places  the  parti- 
cles of  soil  in  the  proper  relation  to  moisture  for 
the  reception  of  the  plant  roots.  Plants  of  the  na- 
ture of  those  under  discussion  will  not  thrive  with 
wet  feet. 


CHAPTER  Iff 
SOILS 

For  Muskmelons. — Most  writers  on  muskmelons 
advocate  the  selection  of  rather  heavy,  sandy  loams 
for  the  best  success  in  commercial  melon  growing, 
for  the  reason  that  the  muskmelon  seems  to  require 
a  soil  which  contains  an  abundance  of  vegetable 
matter  on  which  the  plant  can  draw  for  its  food 
supply  during  the  entire  season,  rather  than  during 
a  comparatively  short  space  of  time.  While  it  is 
true  that  the  muskmelon  can  be  grown  successfully 
on  almost  any  good  loamy  soil,  it  is  a  fact  that  in 
the  melon  regions  of  the  middle  West,  as  well  as 
in  the  South,  the  sandy  soils  are  almost  universally 
selected  for  commercial  purposes  where  it  is  possi- 
ble to  do  so. 

Some  of  the  most  successful  growers  in  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  valleys  select  a  sandy  soil  that  is 
rich  enough,  or  that  can  be  made  rich  enough,  to 
produce  a  good  stand  of  clover.  Then,  in  order  to 
put  it  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  melons  and 
to  keep  it  so,  they  arrange  a  three  or  four-year  rota- 
tion, starting  with  clover,  then  melons,  then  wheat, 
and  then  back  to  clover  for  one  or  two  years.  By 
this  process  a  minimum  amount  of  manure  is  re- 
quired to  keep  up  the  fertility,  as  these  crops  fur- 
nish a  good  supply  of  humus  in  the  soil,  and  what 
manure  is  used  for  the  melons  is  usually  applied  in 
the  hills,  although  some  broadcast  it  for  musk- 
melons, as  the  hills  are  much  closer  together  than 
in  the  case  of  watermelons. 

14 


SOILS  15 

As  soon  as  the  melon  crop  is  harvested,  they  sim- 
ply disk  the  ground  with  a  disk  harrow  and  sow  to 
wheat,  sowing  clover  with  the  wheat  in  the  spring. 
This  is  either  pastured  or  cut  for  hay  and  the  land 
prepared  for  melons  again  the  third  or  fourth  year. 
Some  add  corn  to  this  rotation,  which  is  not  a  bad 
idea,  as  it  adds  another  year  to  the  time  allotted 
between  the  melon  crops.  This  process  seems  to 
fulfill  the  requirements  of  the  melon  plants  very 
nicely,  as  it  gives  them  a  seed  bed  that  is  full  of 
nitrogen,  which  will  cause  the  plants  to  respond 
very  quickly  and  grow  rapidly,  and  enables  them  to 
overcome  the  attacks  of  insects  and  diseases  with 
which  they  have  to  contend. 

The  sandy  land  is  also  selected  because  it  warms 
up  more  quickly  and  can  be  worked  earlier  in  the 
spring.  It  does  not  need  much  artificial  drainage, 
it  does  not  bake  after  heavy  rains,  and  consequently 
may  be  put  into  condition  to  receive  the  plants  or 
seeds  with  less  labor  than  can  the  heavier  soils. 
Then,  again,  the  crop  will  begin  to  mature  earlier 
on  the  sand  than  on  clay,  which  in  itself  is  a  very 
important  consideration  from  the  money  standpoint. 
All  of  these  points  must  be  kept  in  mind  by  the 
successful  melon  grower. 

For  Watermelons. — The  watermelon,  like  the 
muskmelon,  is  an  all-season  plant,  as  well  as  a 
strictly  warm-weather  plant,  and  this  applies  to  the 
underground  system  as  well  as  to  that  portion 
which  grows  above  ground.  But  while  the  musk- 
melon  will  produce  good  crops  on  a  moderately 
heavy  soil,  the  watermelon  is  at  its  best  only  on  a 
deep,  light,  warm,  sandy  soil. 

It  would  be  folly  to  attempt  to  raise  watermelons, 


16 


SOILS  17 

in  a  commercial  way  at  least,  on  a  cold,  wet  soil.  In 
the  first  place,  the  seeds  would  most  likely  rot  be- 
fore they  could  have  time  to  germinate,  and  if  some 
of  them  did  succeed  in  germinating,  the  plants 
would  make  only  a  feeble  growth,  and  the  crop 
would  amount  to  nothing.  To  be  sure,  some  fairly 
good  melons  may  be  grown,  on  a  small  scale  for 
family  use,  on  almost  any  good  loamy  soil,  provid- 
ing it  is  well  drained  and  not  too  rich  in  nitroge- 
nous material  so  as  to  produce  a  luxuriant  growth 
of  vine  at  the  expense  of  fruit ;  but  the  farmer  who 
has  only  a  heavy,  clay  soil  or  rich  bottom  land,  had 
better  devote  his  energies  toward  raising  wheat 
and  corn,  and  buy  what  watermelons  the  family 
needs;  because,  if  he  attempts  to  raise  them  under 
such  conditions,  he  will  only  meet  with  disappoint- 
ment. But  if  he  can  find  a  patch  of  light  sand  on 
the  place,  by  using  plenty  of  fertilizer,  he  can  raise 
the  finest  kind  of  melons. 

Nor  is  there  much  danger  of  the  sand  being  too 
light  and  porous.  Some  of  the  best  watermelon 
land  that  can  be  found  anywhere  may  be  found 
in  sections  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  valleys 
where  the  sand  is  so  light  and  loose  that  farmers 
are  sometimes  obliged  to  haul  straw  and  place  it  in 
the  road  in  order  to  be  able  to  haul  their  melons 
to  market ;  and  yet  that  soil  retains  the  moisture 
and  plant  food  sufficient  to  produce  heavy  crops  of 
melons  of  the  highest  quality  during  the  driest  sea- 
sons. (See  Fig.  2.)  Corn  also  forms  a  part  of  the 
rotation  on  some  of  these  lands,  and  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  bushels  per  acre  is  often  produced. 
Much  of  this  is  due  to  the  ability  of  these  soils  to  retain 
moisture  and  to  furnish  it  to  the  plants  as  needed. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  SEED 

There  are  so  many  factors  which  enter  into  the 
seed  proposition,  that  it  becomes  a  matter  of  vital 
importance  to  the  melon  grower.  And  one  of  the 
very  first  essentials  is  that  of  good,  sound  seeds — 
seeds  which  have  been  properly  handled  and  have 
not  lost  their  vitality.  While  melon  seeds  will  re- 
tain their  germinating  powers  for  a  number  of 
years  if  the  proper  conditions  are  maintained,  yet 
it  is  comparatively  easy  to  destroy  their  vitality  by 
improper  care. 

Some  of  the  conditions  affecting  the  duration  of 
seed  vitality  were  set  forth  by  the  late  Prof.  E.  S. 
Goff  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  One  of  the 
most  important  conditions  is  a  uniform  degree  of 
humidity  and  temperature.1  So  handling  the  seeds 
as  to  cause  as  little  drain  as  possible  upon  the  life 
of  the  living  cells  tends  greatly  to  prolong  the  vital 
period  of  seeds.  Seeds  deeply  buried  in  the  ground 
are  often  capable  of  germination  at  a  great  age,  be- 
cause in  such  cases  the  seeds  are  subjected  to  prac- 
tically no  variations  in  humidity  and  temperature. 

Seeds  of  many  of  our  common  weeds  which  have 
been  plowed  under  quite  deeply  remain  in  the  soil 
in  perfect  condition  for  years  until  they  are  again 
brought  to  the  surface,  when  they  germinate  and 
grow.  The  writer  has  carried  on  experiments  along 
this  line  by  placing  seeds  of  some  of  our  common 

1  "Principles  of  Plant  Culture." 

18 


THE    SEED  19 

garden  vegetables  in  bottles  and  burying  them  in 
the  ground  about  two  feet  deep;  after  20  years, 
they  were  taken  up  and  tested  for  germination, 
when  it  was  found  that  nearly  as  high  a  degree  of 
vitality  was  maintained  as  we  commonly  get  with 
fresh  seeds. 

Moisture  is  another  factor  which  must  be  reck- 
oned with  in  maintaining  the  vitality  of  stored 
seeds.  Seeds  that  are  kept  too  moist  are  very  likely 
to  develop  fungous  diseases  which  may  result  in  the 
destruction  of  the  germ  or  embryo.  Freezing  at 
such  a  time,  except  in  case  of  those  seeds  which  re- 
quire freezing  in  order  to  burst  the  hard  covering, 
may  also  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  seeds.  It  is 
highly  important,  therefore,  that  seeds  like  those 
of  the  melon  should  be  carefully  dried  as  soon  as 
they  are  separated  from  the  pulp,  and  kept  in  a 
moderately  warm  and  dry  atmosphere  until  planted. 

The  age  of  the  seeds  often  has  much  to  do  with 
the  germinating  power.  With  some  species,  better 
results  are  obtained  if  the  seed  is  not  more  than  a 
year  old.  The  onion  is  a  good  example  of  this  class, 
but  melons  or  cucumbers  may  be  grown  success- 
fully from  seeds  that  are  five  or,  in  some  cases,  even 
ten  years  old.  It  is  said  by  successful  melon  grow- 
ers, that  the  best  results  are  usually  obtained  from 
seeds  which  are  two  or  three  years  old,  providing, 
of  course,  they  have  been  properly  handled.  The 
fresh  seeds  will  often  produce  the  greatest  degree 
of  luxuriance  of  plant  and  foliage,  but  the  fruiting 
qualities  come  with  age.  It  is  highly  important, 
therefore,  if  the  melon  grower  saves  his  own  seeds, 
which  is  often  the  case,  to  save  enough  during  favor- 
able seasons  to  last  for  a  number  of  years;  or,  in 


20  MELON    CULTURE 

other  words,  to  constantly  have  a  supply  of  two 
or  three-year  old  seeds  on  hand. 

Testing  the  Seed. — There  is,  perhaps,  not  so  much 
necessity  for  the  melon  grower  to  test  his  seeds  as 
there  is  for  the  general  truck  grower,  or  the  grain 
farmer,  because,  as  we  have  already  seen,  melon 
seed  will  retain  its  vitality  for  a  number  of  years 
if  properly  cured  and  stored,  and  so  there  is  not  so 
much  danger  of  getting  seed  which  has  lost  much,  if 
not  all,  of  its  vitality  on  account  of  age.  Formerly 
it  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  seedsmen  to 
keep  over  any  surplus  seeds  from  one  year  to  an- 
other in  order  to  guard  against  any  possible  failure 
of  the  seed  crop  the  following  season.  In  case  of 
a  shortage  in  any  crop,  these  old  seeds  could  be 
mixed  with  the  new,  and  still  the  new  crop  would 
maintain  a  fairly  respectable  percentage  of  germina- 
tion. I  do  not  believe  that  this  is  the  case  now, 
however,  especially  with  our  old  and  well-estab- 
lished seed  firms,  but,  instead,  their  seeds  are  all 
tested  for  germination  before  they  are  sent  out. 
Nevertheless,  the  melon  grower  has  quite  as  much 
at  stake  as  has  the  general  farmer  when  he  plants 
his  crop,  and  so  it  behooves  him  to  make  himself 
absolutely  sure  that  his  seed  is  going  to  grow,  as 
upon  this  fact  depends  success  or  failure. 

How  to  Test  the  Seed. — If  there  is  a  little  space 
in  the  hotbed  that  will  not  be  occupied  for  a  few 
days,  the  seeds  may  be  sowed  in  a  flat  or  shallow 
box  and  set  in  the  hotbed,  where  the  conditions 
will  be  most  favorable  for  germination.  One  hun- 
dred seeds  of  each  of  the  lots  to  be  tested  will  not 
require  much  room,  and  the  percentage  of  germina- 
tion may  be  easily  reckoned.  If  ten  per  cent,  or 


THE    SEED 


21 


more,  of  the  seeds  fail  to  germinate,  it  will  then  be 
best  to  add  to  the  number  of  seeds  planted,  for  it 
is  much  cheaper  and  safer  to  thin  out  than  to  be 
obliged  to  replant.  If  one  has  no  hotbed,  all  that  is 
necessary  is  to  take  a  couple  of  dinner  plates ;  on 
one  place  a  piece  of  muslin  or  canton  flannel,  mois- 
ten it,  place  100  seeds  upon  it  so  they  will  not 
touch  each  other,  place  another  piece  of  damp  cloth 
over  them  and  turn  the  other  plate  bottom  side  up 


Fig.  3.     Seed-testing  box  filled  with  corn  after  the  melon  seeds 
had  germinated. 


over  the  whole  to  prevent  evaporation,  and  set  the 
whole  in  a  warm  place  for  a  few  days,  when  they 
may  be  counted  out  and  the  percentage  of  germina- 
tion ascertained.  Another  inexpensive  seed  tester 
is  shown  in  Fig  3.  It  is  simply  a  shallow  box  or 
tray,  of  almost  any  dimensions  not  too  large  to  be 
easily  handled,  with  wires  stretched  across  in  both 
directions,  two  inches  apart  each  way.  This  will 
make  little  pockets  or  squares  large  enough  to  hold 


22  MELON    CULTURE 

five  or  ten  melon  seeds.  This  flat  is  then  filled  with 
clean  sand  which  has  been  dampened,  the  seeds  put 
in  place  as  indicated  in  the  cut,  and  the  whole 
covered  with  glass  in  order  to  prevent  evaporation, 
and  placed  in  a  warm  room  for  a  few  days.  It  is  an 
easy  matter  then  to  count  out  and  figure  the  per 
cent  of  those  which  have  germinated.  This  requires 
but  very  little  labor  and  expense,  and  the  satisfac- 
tion of  knowing  that  the  seeds  are  going  to  grow 
will  add  greatly  to  one's  peace  of  mind. 

Selecting  Melons  for  Seed;  Its  Influence  on  the 
Crop. — It  is  pretty  generally  understood  by  those 
who  have  given  the  matter  attention  that  there  are 
a  number  of  influences  at  work  in  the  production  of 
a  melon  crop  concerning  which  the  average  farmer 
or  gardener  knows  but  little,  or  if  he  knows  about 
them,  he  seldom  if  ever  attempts  to  follow  them 
out  to  their  logical  conclusions.  For  example,  take 
the  matter  of  selecting  melons  for  seeds  for  future 
planting.  A  little  observation  will  show  one  that, 
in  most  cases,  the  most  haphazard  methods  are  prac- 
ticed by  the  growers  who  save  their  own  seeds. 
To  be  sure,  many  of  the  large  commercial  growers 
have  a  kind  of  standard  which  they  follow,  but  in 
most  cases  they  do  not  follow  out  their  selection 
with  reference  to  any  logical  sequence.  For  ex- 
ample, each  grower  has  his  own  idea  as  to  the  size 
and  shape  of  the  melon  which  he  wishes  to  grow, 
and  he  selects  fruits  for  seeds  along  those  lines  en- 
tirely, disregarding  two  of  the  most  important 
points  which  go  to  make  a  perfect  and  profitable 
melon ;  viz.,  productiveness  and  quality. 

Instead  of  going  into  the  field  and  selecting  the 
type  of  melon  wanted  from  the  most  productive 


THE    SEED 


hills,  and  then  testing  the  quality  of  the  fruit  be- 
fore saving  the  seeds,  the  more  common  practice 
is  to  wait  until  the  wagon  comes  from  the  field  with 
a  load  and  then  to  select  the  seed  melons  from  this 
promiscuous  lot.  (See  Fig.  4.)  In  this  way  the 
grower  may  be  able  to  preserve  the  type  of  melon 
he  wishes  to  grow  at  the  expense  of  those  other 
very  important  qualities.  This  is  like  the  old 


Fig.  4.     A  poor  Netted  Gem,  the  result  of  haphazard  selection  of 
seed  melons. 


method  of  saving  seed  corn  by  waiting  until  plant- 
ing time  and  then  going  to  the  crib  and  selecting  the 
type  of  ear  wanted  without  knowing  anything  about 
the  kind  of  plant  from  which  it  came. 

Many  experiments  have  been  tried  along  this  line, 
not  only  with  melons,  but  with  other  crops  as  well, 
all  of  which  tend  to  prove  the  truth  of  this  state- 


MELON    CULTURE 


ment.  Individual  hills  grown  from  the  same  lot  oi 
seeds,  as  we  get  them  in  the  market,  and  given  the 
same  treatment  in  every  respect,  will  often  vary  in 
their  productive  powers  from  25  to  200  per  cent. 
It  is  often  the  case,  however,  that  the  unproductive 
hill  will  produce  fruits  which  are  as  true  to  the  type 
as  the  more  productive  plants ;  hence,  the  selecting 
of  the  melons  for  seed  in  the  field,  as  they  are  taken 


Fig.  5.    A  much  better  type  than  Fig.  4. 

from  the  vine,  where  all  of  these  characters  may  be 
taken  into  account,  becomes  a  matter  of  great  im- 
portance. (See  Fig.  5.) 

Prof.  P.  K.  Blinn  of  Rocky  Ford,  Colorado,  found 
that,  by  planting  the  seeds  from  a  single  melon 
separately,  the  product  of  this  melon  was  so  uni- 
form in  all  of  its  qualities  that  it  was  evident  to  him 
that  the  individual  selection  must  be  considered  an 
essential  point  in  breeding,  not  only  for  type,  qual- 
ity and  productiveness,  but  in  securing  strains  which 


THE    SEED  25 

are  disease-resistant.  Hence,  it  is  not  only  impor- 
tant to  select  from  individual  plants,  but  individual 
fruits  as  well ;  and  then,  too,  we  should  separate  the 
breeding  plots  as  far  as  possible  to  prevent  any  un- 
desirable crosses. 

Seeds  from  Immature  Fruits. — In  general,  seeds 
that  are  gathered  from  immature  fruits  will  produce 
an  earlier  ripening  crop,  but  a  more  delicate  and 
weaker-growing  plant;  and  if  this  process  is  fol- 
lowed up  for  a  few  generations,  we  will  have  the 
crop  "  running  out,"  simply  because  the  plants  have 
lost  their  vitality.  Seeds  from  such  immature  fruits 
are  much  more  difficult  to  germinate  than  are  those 
from  well-matured  fruits.  Seeds  from  immature 
fruits  seem  to  have  trouble  in  throwing  off  their 
seed  coats  and  getting  their  roots  established  in  the 
soil.  Many  of  them  perish  during  the  germination 
period. 

Such  seeds,  too,  do  not  weigh  more  than  two- 
thirds  as  much  as  those  from  fruits  that  are  fully 
ripe ;  consequently,  the  young  plantlets  lack  consti- 
tutional vigor  and  are  more  easily  affected  by  re- 
tarding or  harmful  influences.  If  they  can  be 
brought  through  the  early  period  of  growth  and  be- 
come well  established,  and  the  foliage  or  fruit  is  not 
attacked  by  rots  or  blights,  the  grower  will  usually 
be  rewarded  by  an  earlier  and  more  abundant  crop 
of  slightly  smaller  and  less  firm  fruit.  These  char- 
acters will  be  more  strongly,  emphasized  in  subse- 
quent years  by  continuous  seed  propagation  along 
these  lines.1  Goff  states2  that  seeds  not  fully  grown 
lack  a  part  of  their  normal  food  supply  and  their 

1  T.  C.  Arthur. 

'"Principles  of  Plant  Culture." 


26  MELON    CULTURE 

embryo  is  probably  imperfectly  developed.  If  capa- 
ble of  germination,  they  rarely,  if  ever,  produce  vig- 
orous plants. 

As  a  rule,  the  most  vigorous  plants  come  from 
fully  matured  seeds.  Immature  seeds,  persistently 
used,  probably  tend  to  reduced  vigor,  early  matu- 
rity, clwarfness,  and  shortened  life.  And  Bailey 
remarks1  that  these  results  are  probably  closely 
associated  with  the  chemical  constitution  and  con- 
tent of  the  immature  seeds.  The  organic  com- 
pounds have  not  yet  reached  a  state  of  stability, 
and  they  therefore  respond  quickly  to  external 
stimuli  when  placed  in  conditions  suitable  to 
germination,  and  there  is  little  food  for  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  plantlet.  The  consequent  weakness  of 
the  plantlet  results  in  a  loss  of  vegetable  vigor, 
which  is  earliness.  In  other  words,  if  the  melon 
grower  wishes  to  increase  the  earliness  of  his  crop, 
he  can  do  so  by  persistently  gathering  his  seeds 
from  immature  fruits,  but  he  will  invariably  secure 
earliness  at  the  expense  of  vigor  of  plant,  and  with- 
out a  vigorous  plant  the  crop  of  fruit  will  inevitably 
be  shortened.  More  than  that,  a  plant  that  is  weak 
in  vitality  cannot  produce  a  fruit  of  the  highest 
quality.  It  is  a  recognized  fact,  therefore,  that  seeds 
like  the  melon  and  cucumber  will  produce  the 
greatest  yield  of  the  highest  quality  fruit  from  well- 
ripened  seeds  which  are  two  or  three  years  old.2 

Early  vs.  Late  Ripening  Fruits  for  Seed. — There 
is  a  prevalent  opinion  that,  in  order  to  prevent  de- 
terioration in  the  time  of  ripening  of  the  melons, 
it  is  necessary  to  select  the  first  ripe  fruits  for  seed. 

'"Plant  Breeding." 

2  A.  B.  A,  Vol.  IV,  page  165. 


THE    SEED  27 

In  other  words,  if  one  waits  until  toward  the  close 
of  the  season  before  selecting  fruits  for  seed,  the 
tendency  will  be  for  the  succeeding  crop  to  be  later 
in  ripening,  and  if  this  is  followed  up  for  a  few 
years,  a  naturally  early  variety  will  be  transformed 
into  a  late  variety.  At  first  thought,  one  might 
naturally  take  it  for  granted  that  such  would  be  the 
case,  and  yet  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  well- 
authenticated  data,  coming  from  actual  experi- 
ments, on  the  subject.  In  reply  to  an  inquiry,  Dr. 
B.  D.  Halstead,  of  Rutgers  College,  New  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey,  says :  "  I  do  not  know  where  to  turn 
for  the  information  you  desire.  The  whole  subject 
is  well  worthy  of  prolonged  study,  as  only  a  long 
series  of  generations  can  give  the  required  data  for 
the  deducing  of  a  rule." 

The  same  list  of  questions  was  addressed  to  Prof. 
P.  K.  Blinn  of  Rocky  Ford,  Colorado,  and  here  is 
his  reply :  "  In  regard  to  developing  early  maturity 
in  cantaloupes,  I  have  found  in  my  work,  that  the 
individual  .plant  is  the  unit  of  variation,  and  should 
be  the  unit  of  selection  ;  that  is,  if  seed  of  a  number 
of  individual  plants  from  even  a  relatively  pure 
variety  be  saved  separate  and  planted  in  a  compara- 
tive test  under  uniform  conditions,  there  are  apt 
to  be  marked  contrasts  in  time  of  development  as 
well  as  many  other  variations  which  offer  the  op- 
portunity for  selection  of  any  of  the  desired  traits. 
The  more  careful  and  systematic  the  breeding  or 
seed  selection  has  been,  the  less  the  variations  will 
be  and  the  more  uniform  the  product.  As  a  general 
proposition,  the  early  selected  seed  will  tend  to 
produce  the  earlier  crop,  for  the  reason  that  the 
early  selection  will  obviously  include  more  of  the 


2  MELON    CULTURE 

seed  from  early  maturing  plants  than  the  late  selec- 
tions from  the  same  field  would  have. 

"  As  to  the  specific  question  as  to  whether  the 
early  matured  seed  from  a  given  plant  will  pro- 
duce earlier  results  than  late  maturing  seed  from 
the  same  plant,  I  have  not  found  in  my  work  any 
appreciable  difference,  except  that  the  early  seed  is 
apt  to  be  much  plumper  and  heavier,  which  will  nat- 
urally produce  a  more  vigorous,  early,  better-fed 
seedling,  and,  consequently,  earlier  crops.  We  have 
seen  this  here  every  year  in  sacking  cantaloupe 
seed;  the  ordinary  seamless  sack  will  hold  eighty 
to  eighty-five  pounds,  while  of  the  late-saved  seed 
only  about  seventy  or  seventy-five  pounds  can  be 
gotten  into  a  sack,  and  this  difference  is  mostly  in 
the  seed  kernel ;  hence,  there  is  another  reason 
for  the  superior  value  of  early  selected  seed." 

Effect  of  Latitude  and  Altitude  on  Early  Matu- 
rity.— In  a  circular  on  cantaloupe  breeding,  Profes- 
sor Blinn  makes  the  following  statement  concern- 
ing the  effect  of  latitude  and  altitude  on  the  time 
of  ripening:  "It  has  long  been  an  established  fact 
that  early  maturity  in  plants  can  be  hastened  by 
using  seed  from  a  higher  altitude  or  more  north- 
erly latitude.  It  is  also  true  that  seed  grown  under 
dry  climate  conditions  where  the  moisture  is  con- 
trolled by  irrigation  is  plumper  and  heavier  and 
superior  in  vigor  and  vitality  to  that  produced  in 
humid  sections  having  excessive  rainfall."  One 
should  not  deceive  himself,  however,  by  thinking 
that  because  the  melon  was  grown  in  Colorado,  or 
any  other  state  of  a  similar  altitude,  it  will  neces- 
sarily produce  melons  of  superior  quality. 


THE    REED  2Q 

Many  mistakes  have  been  made  and  disappoint- 
ments experienced  by  growers  in  different  parts  of 
the  country  by  planting  northern  grown  seed  which 
was  taken  from  melons  indiscriminately  from  the 
field  without  any  thought  of  selection.  The  law  of 
heredity  and  environment  holds  true  in  Colorado 
as  well  as  anywhere  else.  Because  a  certain  strain 
of  seed  will  produce  good  results  in  Colorado,  it  does 
not  necessarily  follow  that  it  will  do  equally  as 
well  in  other  states  and  under  entirely  different 
conditions.  It  is  only  after  a  long  period  of  selec- 
tion of  seed  from  melons  of  the  same  strain  which 
have  been  grown  under  different  environments  that 
we  can  be  reasonably  certain  of  success.  Says  Pro- 
fessor Blinn :  "  Ten  years  in  cantaloupe  breeding 
has  demonstrated  that  in  such  heredity  tests  some 
will  breed  uniformly  true,  a  desirable  type,  while 
others  will  be  irregular  and  worthless  as  seed.  If 
choice  specimens  are  again  selected  and  given  an- 
other heredity  test,  the  variations  will  be  less 
marked  and  the  seed  will  improve  along  the  lines  of 
selection.  After  a  few  years  of  systematic  effort, 
the  reproducing  tendency  of  seed  so  developed  can 
be  depended  upon,  but  the  system  should  be  contin- 
ued indefinitely  to  constantly  produce  reliable 
seed." 


CHAPTER  V 
FERTILIZERS  FOR  MELONS 

The  kind  and  quantity  of  fertilizers  needed  for 
melons  will  depend  very  largely  upon  the  kind  and 
condition  of  the  land  to  be  planted.  If  ordinary 
farm  crops,  in  which  clover  or  some  other  legumi- 
nous crop  has  a  place  in  the  rotation,  have  been 
grown  on  the  land  for  some  time,  the  probability 
is  that  the  soil  will  already  contain  a  fair  amount, 
at  least,  of  vegetable  matter,  which  is  very  essential 
to  the  proper  growth  and  development  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  vine  family,  such  as  melons,  cucumbers, 
pumpkins,  and  squashes.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, we  usually  find  that  in  most  sections  of  the 
country  where  melons  are  grown  extensively,  often 
covering  hundreds  of  acres,  the  soil  is  of  a  sandy 
nature,  often  very  light  sand,  which  is  deficient  in 
vegetable  matter. 

The  quickest  and  cheapest  way  to  supply  this  to 
the  soil  is  by  means  of  clover,  cowpeas  or  soy 
beans.  I  am  aware  that  in  some  sections  it  is  quite 
difficult  to  get  clover  to  grow  successfully,  and  in 
such  cases  the  cowpeas  or  soy  beans  will  answer 
just  as  well.  They  may  be  sowed  at  the  rate  of  one 
bushel  per  acre  at  corn-planting  time,  in  which  case 
they  will  be  ready  to  turn  under  in  the  fall,  or  they 
may  follow  an  early  crop  of  peas  or  sugar  corn  and 
be  handled  exclusively  as  a  cover  crop,  to  be 
"  hogged  down  "  during  the  fall  and  winter.  After 
one  or  two  of  these  crops  have  been  incorporated 

30 


FERTILIZERS    FOR    MELONS  .3.! 

with  the  soil,  there  will  not  be  any  trouble  about 
securing  a  stand  of  clover  in  the  regular  rotation. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that,  like 
everything  else,  this  may  be  overdone  and  the  soil 
become  so  rich  in  vegetable  matter  that  the  vines 
will  produce  a  fruit  that  is  overgrown ;  too  large  for 
the  variety,  and  of  poor  quality,  as  well  as  being 
later  in  ripening.  We  must  remember  that  there 
are  two  contending  forces  at  work  in  a  plant;  viz., 
the  vegetative  and  the  reproductive.  In  some  the 
vegetative  is  most  prominent,  while  in  others  the 
reproductive  character  seems  to  be  strongest. 

Melon  plants  that  have  a  tendency  to  produce  a 
large  amount  of  vine  and  foliage  are  usually  low 
in  their  fruit-producing  capacity,  and  vice  versa. 
This,  however,  may  be  remedied  to  a  great  extent, 
by  careful  attention  to  the  kinds  and  amounts  of 
fertilizers  used.  If  the  tendency  is  to  produce  too 
much  growth  of  vine  at  the  expense  of  fruit,  then 
the  nitrogenous  elements  in  the  fertilizer  should  be 
reduced  and  more  of  the  fruit-producing  elements 
added.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  plant  is  weak  in 
vegetation,  it  should  be  stimulated  by  adding  more 
of  the  nitrogenous  compounds.  The  successful 
commercial  melon  grower,  therefore,  will  see  to  it 
that  his  soil  is  in  first-class  condition,  not  only  to 
enable  it  to  produce  a  large  crop  of  fine-looking 
melons,  but  melons  of  the  highest  quality.  This 
will  require  a  balancing  up  of  the  elements  of  plant 
food,  but  the  best  way  to  do  it  will  have  to  be 
studied  by  each  individual  grower.  (See  Fig.  6.) 

In  his  book  on  fertilizers,1  Voorhees  makes  the 
following  statements  concerning  the  needs  of  these 

1  "Fertilizers,"  Voorhres. 


32 


FERTILIZERS    FOR    MELONS  33 

crops  now  under  discussion :  "  All  of  these  crops 
seem  to  require  an  abundance  of  vegetable  matter 
in  the  soil  in  order  to  make  their  first  growth 
Hence,  upon  soils  deficient  in  this  respect,  manures 
should  be  applied  which  are  rich  in  vegetable  mat- 
ter. Composts  in  the  hill  have  proved  of  special 
advantage,  as  they  seem  to  encourage  an  immediate 
feeding  and  prevent  delay  in  early  growth.  In  the 
best  growth  of  the  plants  it  is  also  necessary  that 
the  mineral  elements  shall  be  available  and  that 
the  nitrogen  shall  be  of  such  character  as  to  en- 
courage a  continuous,  rather  than  a  quick  growth 
of  vine;  that  is,  unless  the  quickening  nitrates  are 
applied  frequently,  they  are  less  desirable  than 
organic  forms  of  nitrogen.  Hence,  with  the  usual 
broadcast  application  of  the  basic  mixture  at  the 
time  of  planting,  together  with  a  compost  in  the  hill, 
further  application  of  organic  nitrogen  should  be 
made,  its  character  to  be  such  as  to  promise  a  rela- 
tively rapid  change  into  nitrate.  The  basic  mix- 
ture may  be  reinforced  by  any  one  of  the  following 
materials:  200  to  300  pounds  per  acre  of  cottonseed 
meal,  100  to  200  pounds  per  acre  of  dried  blood,  or 
300  to  400  pounds  of  fine  ground  tankage.  Any 
organic  substance  whose  greater  part  will  decay  in 
one  season  will  generally  give  better  results  than 
the  nitrate,  unless  the  latter  is  applied  in  frequent 
small  top-dressings,  because  organic  forms  of  nitro- 
gen provide  for  a  continuous  growth  of  vine  and 
fruit,  while  too  great  an  abundance  of  immediately 
available  nitrogen  as  nitrate  is  liable  to  cause  too 
rapid  and  large  growth  of  fruit  of  poor  quality." 

It  is  a  common  practice  in  the  middle  West  to  plow 
the  land  quite  deeply — eight  or  nine  inches — as  early 


34  MELON    CULTURE 

as  it  can  be  worked,  using  a  jointer  on  the  plow  in 
order  to  make  sure  that  all  the  vegetation  is  turned 
under  The  soil  is  then  worked  over  several  times 
in  order  to  get  it  thoroughly  pulverized  and  com- 
pact. As  the  time  for  planting  approaches,  the  land 
is  thoroughly  harrowed  and  then  marked  off  with 
either  a  breaking  plow  or  an  ordinary  single  shovel 
plow,  10  by  10,  9  by  9,  or  8  by  10  feet  for  water- 
melons, and  about  5  by  5  or  5  by  6  feet  for  musk- 
melons.  A  shovelful  of  well-rotted  stable  manure 
is  then  placed  at  each  intersection  of  the  furrows 
where  the  hills  are  to  be  and  well  worked  into  the 
soil.  This  gives  the  young  plants  an  early  and  vig- 
orous start,  and  if  the  balance  of  the  soil  is  in  fairly 
good  condition,  from  plowing  under  clover  and 
other  cover  crops,  they  are  able  to  maintain  a  good 
growth  throughout  the  season.  Where  stable 
manure  cannot  be  obtained,  a  mixture  of  commer- 
cial fertilizer,  similar  to  the  formula  given  by  Voor- 
hees;  is  used,  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  soil  before 
planting. 


CHAPTER  VI 
STARTING  THE  PLANTS 

Planting  in  the  Open  Ground. — In  the  more 
southern  portion  of  the  country,  where  the  season 
is  long  and  there  is  very  little  danger  from  frost, 
the  common  practice  is  to  plant  the  seeds  in  the 
open  ground  where  the  plants  are  to  grow.  This, 
of  course,  is  a  great  advantage  where  it  can  be  done 
without  endangering  the  crop  by  frost,  as  it  saves  a 
large  expense  of  handling  and  transferring  the 
plants.  The  melon  does  not  take  kindly  to  having 
its  roots  disturbed ;  hence,  great  care  is  necessary 
in  transferring  them  from  the  seed  bed  to  the  field. 
Southern  growers,  therefore,  usually  practice  the 
simplest  and  cheapest  methods  of  getting  the  crop 
started. 

But  even  in  the  South,  the  commercial  melon 
growers  wish  to  get  their  crops  on  to  the  market 
as  early  as  possible  in  order  to  catch  the  highest 
prices ;  so  it  often  happens  that  the  ground  is  made 
ready  and  the  seed  planted  before  the  season  has 
become  very  far  advanced ;  and  if  cold  weather 
threatens,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  cover  the  hills 
with  some  kind  of  litter  until  the  soil  and  air  are 
warm  enough  to  insure  safety.  This  method  applies 
more  especially  to  the  muskmelon  than  to  the  wa- 
termelon. As  the  melon  is  not  a  deep  feeder,  but 
rather  spreads  out  its  root  system  near  the  surface, 
following  after  the  manner  of  growth  common  to 
the  vine  above  ground,  it  is  not  considered  necessary 


36  MELON    CULTURE 

by  the  southern  grower,  at  least,  to  plow  his  land 
very  deeply  before  planting,  as  this  would  in  a  meas- 
ure disturb  the  ordinary  habit  of  the  plant,  causing 
it  to  root  deeper  and  to  produce  a  heavier  crop  of 
vines  at  the  expense  of  fruit.  He  would  rather  put 
on  the  surface  the  extra  labor  required  in  deep  plow- 
ing, thoroughly  pulverizing  and  mixing  the  surface 
soil  with  the  harrow ;  then,  when  the  seeds  are 
planted,  they  germinate  quickly  and  the  young 
plants  start  off  quickly  and  vigorously  and  produce 
ripe  fruit  earlier  than  they  would  on  a  deeper  soil. 

The  same  method  is  employed  quite  largely  by 
the  more  northern  growers,  especially  those  in  the 
middle  West  or  Mississippi  valley;  but  as  we  go 
farther  north,  the  land  is  plowed  deeper,  some  of 
the  most  successful  growers  plowing  as  deep  as 
eight  inches.  Their  object  is  to  secure  a  warm 
seed  bed  to  a  greater  depth  than  could  be  had  by 
shallow  plowing.  As  soon  as  the  weather  is  warm 
enough,  the  land  is  gone  over  with  the  harrow  and 
thoroughly  stirred  so  as  to  destroy  any  weeds  which 
may  have  started.  It  is  then  marked  off  in  furrows, 
as  indicated  in  Chapter  V,  the  manure  is  applied, 
the  hills  are  made  about  level  with  the  surface  and 
the  seed  is  covered  about  an  inch  deep  if  the  soil 
is  moist;  if  not,  it  is  covered  a  little  deeper.  If  the 
soil  has  been  made  very  fine  and  the  subsoil  is  such 
as  to  retain  moisture,  capillary  attraction  will  bring 
the  proper  amount  of  moisture  up  to  where  the 
seeds  can  make  use  of  it,  even  if  the  surface  is  quite 
dry.  The  old  method  of  mounding  up  the  soil  for 
the  hills,  so  as  to  secure  a  greater  degree  of  heat,  is 
now  about  obsolete. 

Plant  Plenty  of  Seeds, — Growers  usually  like  to 


STARTING    THE    PLANTS  37 

use  plenty  of  seeds  so  as  to  insure  a  good  stand. 
The  cost  of  seed  is  a  small  item  when  compared 
with  the  loss  in  time  in  replanting  and  the  conse- 
quent unevenness  in  the  time  of  ripening  of  the 
crop.  The  number  of  seeds  used  will  depend  some- 
what upon  the  results  obtained  from  the  tests  for 
germination  which  have  been  made  previously,  but, 
generally  speaking,  from  two  to  four  times  as  many 
seeds  are  planted  as  are  expected  to  remain  for  the 
crop.  Then,  after  the  plants  are  well  up,  the  weaker 
ones  are  thinned  out,  so  that  not  more  than  two  or 
three  plants  remain.  It  will  require  from  two  to 
three  pounds  of  muskmelon  and  four  to  five  pounds 
of  watermelon  seed  to  an  acre. 

Starting  in  Hotbeds. — Our  more  northern  grow- 
ers, especially  those  in  the  upper  Mississippi  valley, 
use  the  hotbed  and  cold  frame  very  generally  for 
starting  the  muskmelon,  and  some  use  them  for 
starting  the  watermelons  as  well,  although  the  lat- 
ter are  generally  planted  in  the  open  ground.  This 
enables  them  to  gain  from  one  to  two  weeks  in  time 
of  ripening.  "These  beds  (Fig.  7)  are  substantially 
built  of  2  x  8  planking  and  are  9  feet  wide  and  from 
25  to  40  feet  long,  many  of  them  holding  from 
2,000  to  3,000  plants,  or  enough  to  plant  nearly  two 
acres.  A  single  grower  sometimes  has  a  range  of 
30  to  40  of  these  beds,  enabling  him  to  set  from  50 
to  75  acres  of  cantaloupes.  The  beds  are  usually 
placed  in  a  warm  and  sheltered  location  so  as  to  get 
the  benefit  of  the  early  spring  sun.  The  seed  is 
started  in  this  latitude  during  the  last  week  in 
March  or  the  first  week  in  April  in  small  veneer 
boxes.  These  are  about  5  inches  square,  and  are 
similar  to  berry  boxes,  except  the  bottoms  are  flush 


38  MELON    CULTURE 

instead  of  being  recessed.  These  are  placed  side  by 
side  in  the  bottom  of  the  hotbed  and  are  filled  with 
finely  prepared  earth  or  compost.  Great  care  is 
taken  with  the  material  for  the  seed  bed,  and  it  is 
frequently  worked  over  before  being  used.  The 
soil  is  made  firm  and  allowed  to  come  slightly  above 
the  tops  of  the  boxes  in  the  hotbed.  It  is  then 
marked  out  in  squares  in  such  a  way  that  the  inter- 
section of  the  marks  center  the  boxes,  and  the  seeds 
are  planted  therein.  After  putting  in  the  seeds, 


Fig.  7.    Hotbeds  where  the  melon  seeds  are  started. 

careful  attention  is  given  to  watering,  to  ventilating 
and  to  keeping  out  weeds.  A  day  temperature  is 
maintained  at  first  of  from  50  to  60  degrees.  As  the 
time  for  transplanting  draws  near,  more  air  is  given 
in  order  to  harden  off  the  young  plants.  The  seed- 
lings are  moved  about  in  the  beds  to  fill  any  possi- 
ble vacancies  and  by  the  time  they  are  ready  to 
transplant  a  perfect  stand  has  been  secured.1" 

These  plant  boxes  are  very  cheap  and  may  be  had 
from  almost  any  berry  box  manufacturer.  They 
come  "  knocked  down "  the  same  as  do  the  quart 
or  pint  berry  boxes  and  may  be  made  up  by  the 

1  Bulletin  123,  Purdue  Experiment  Station, 


STARTING    THE    PLANTS 


39 


grower.  In  case,  however,  one  needs  only  a  com- 
paratively few  hills  for  home  use,  the  seeds  may  be 
planted  upon  pieces  of  inverted  sod.  A  tough  blue 
grass  sod  is  cut  about  two  inches  deep  and  is  then 
cut  into  squares  of  about  four  inches  each  way. 
These  are  placed  bottom  up  in  flats  and  about  three 
seeds  are  placed  in  the  center  of  each  piece.  The 
flats  are  then  put  into  the  hotbed  and  the  seeds  cov- 
ered with  fine  soil  and  kept  well  watered.  Many 
of  the  small  commercial  growers  practice  this 
method  of  starting  seeds. 


Fig.  8.    This  is  easier  than  watering  by  hand. 

"  Several  methods  for  watering  are  in  successful 
use.  A  common  method  is  to  mount  a  tank  on 
trucks  and  drive  along  the  hotbeds  watering 
through  a  lead  of  hose  provided  with  a  rosette  noz- 
zle. (See  Fig.  8.)  Some  growers  whose  beds  are 
near  their  windmills  have  pipe  lines  laid  among 
their  beds  with  hydrants  conveniently  located  for 
watering  with  the  hose,  the  pressure  being  supplied 
by  a  tank  in  the  windmill  tower."  Whatever 
method  of  watering  is  employed,  enough  water 


40  MELON    CULTURE 

should  be  used  to  moisten  the  entire  mass  of  soil 
instead  of  simply  wetting  the  surface.  One  should 
remember  that  it  is  the  roots  that  need  the  mois- 
ture, and  not  the  tops  so  much.  A  good  watering 
once  in  two  or  three  days  is  far  better  than  a  slight 
sprinkle  every  day. 

Starting  in  Hothouses. — AVhere  one  is  fortunate 
enough  to  hav^e  a  hothouse  or  greenhouse,  the  plants 
may  be  started  in  this  and  the  hotbeds  may  be  dis- 
pensed with.  But  owing  to  the  much  greater  ex- 
pense in  constructing  and  heating  a  hothouse,  it 
would  not  be  advisable  to  do  so  for  melons  alone ; 
but  where  one  already  has  a  house  which  is  used 
for  other  forcing  crops,  such  *as  lettuce,  tomatoes, 
and  the  like,  it  will  be  found  to  be  very  useful  for 
starting  the  melon  plants,  as  the  lettuce  and  toma- 
toes will  be  well  towards  the  close  of  their  season 
before  much  of  the  room  will  be  needed  for  the 
melons.  In  this  case,  there  will  doubtless  be  plenty 
of  four-inch  pots  which  can  be  utilized  for  starting 
the  melons  instead  of  the  plant  boxes.  The  hot- 
house has  one  advantage  over  the  hotbed  for  this 
purpose  in  that  the  temperature  and  watering  can 
be  kept  under  better  control  than  is  possible  in  a  hot- 
bed. As  the  season  approaches  for  planting  out-of- 
doors,  all  of  the  windows  and  ventilating  sashes 
should  be  left  open  night  and  day  in  order  to  harden 
off  the  plants  and  accustom  them  to  outdoor  tem- 
perature. 


CHAPTER  VII 
CULTURAL  METHODS 

Transplanting. — If  the  plants  have  been  properly 
cared  for  in  the  hotbed  so  that  they  have  made  a 
good,  vigorous  growth  and  have  been  well  hard- 
ened off,  they  should  be  ready  to  go  into  the  field 
in  about  four  weeks  from  the  time  of  planting.  The 
plants  will  then  have  reached  that  stage,  of  develop- 
ment when  it  would  be  unsafe  to  keep  them  confined 
longer  in  their  narrow  quarters.  The  transplanting 
season  is  a  very  busy  time  with  the  commercial 
melon  grower.  A  large  force  of  men  is  required  in 
order  to  get  the  work  done  as  quickly  as  possible 
and  to  insure  uniformity  in  the  growth  of  the 
plants. 

The  field  has  already  been  prepared,  as  indicated 
in  the  previous  chapter,  by  furrowing  out  both  ways 
or  by  furrowing  one  way  and  simply  marking  the 
other  so  that  the  hills  will  be  the  required  distance 
apart,  which  will  vary,  according  to  the  notions  of 
the  grower,  from  4x4  to  5x7  feet  apart  for  musk- 
melons,  and  8xio  to  10x10  feet  for  watermelons. 
Four  by  four  feet,  however,  is  too  close  for  either. 
This  does  not  give  room  enough  for  the  plants  to 
develop  properly;  and,  more  than  that,  it  is  practi- 
cally impossible  for  one  to  spray  and  otherwise  care 
for  the  plants  or  to  harvest  the  crop  without  greatly 
injuring  the  vines.  A  common  distance,  therefore, 
is  about  4x6  or  5x7  feet  for  muskmelons.  The  fol- 

41 


42  MELON    CULTURE 

lowing  table  shows  the  number  of  plants  required 
to  plant  an  acre  at  different  distances  apart : 

Plants  Required  for  an  Acre 


4x4       feet  equals  2,722  hills 

4x5"  "        2,178  " 

4^  x     6y2     "  "        1,500  " 

5      x    5  i,742  " 

5      x    7        «  «       1,250  « 

6x6  1,210  " 

8x8"  "          680  " 

9x9  537  " 

10  x  10  435  " 

11  x  ii  360  " 

12  X  12  302    " 

When  ready  to  be  taken  to  the  field,  the  plants 
should  be  thoroughly  watered,  so  that  they  can  be 
handled  without  disturbing  the  soil  about  the  roots. 
In  the  large  melon  districts,  large  flat-topped  wagons 
are  provided  for  hauling  the  plants  to  the  field. 
(See  Fig.  9.)  The  boxes  are  set  off  at  the  intersec- 
tions, and  a  gang  of  boys  take  them  and,  with  a 
stout  pocket  knife,  slit  the  corners  so  that  the  box 
easily  drops  off,  leaving  the  soil  and  plants  intact. 
They  are  then  placed  in  the  hills  and  a  second  gang 
of  men  follows  up  and  draws  the  soil  up  around  the 
cube  of  earth  which  holds  the  plants.  Some  do 
this  work  with  hoes,  while  others  go  on  their  knees 
and  simply  use  their  hands,  as  the  sand  is  very 
easily  handled.  By  this  method  the  roots  are  not 
disturbed  and  the  plants  continue  to  grow  without 
any  check. 


CULTURAL   METHODS 


43 


Horse  cultivation  should  now  begin  and  continue 
almost  constantly  for  the  first  two  or  three  weeks, 
especially  if  the  season  is  dry,  so  as  to  conserve 
the  moisture  and  keep  the  plants  growing.  After 
every  rain,  the  cultivator  should  be  started  as  soon 
as  possible  in  order  to  prevent  any  crust  from  form- 
ing and  a  consequent  loss  of  moisture.  Keep  this 
up  as  long  as  the  horse  and  cultivator  can  get 


Fig.  9.     Hauling  the  plants  to  the  field  for  transplanting. 

through  without  injuring  the  vines.  Some  growers 
prefer  to  plow  deep  while  the  plants  are  small  in 
order  to  prepare  the  soil  for  the  young  feeding  roots 
which  will  soon  make  their  appearance,  following 
this  with  shallow  cultivation  until  the  vines  cover 
the  ground.  With  such  treatment  but  little  hand 
hoeing  is  needed.  But  different  conditions  call  for 
different  treatment,  and  so  the  resourceful  grower 


44  MELON    CULTURE 

will  exercise  his  ingenuity  in  trying  to  meet  those 
conditions.  There  are  sections  in  the  melon  grow- 
ing regions  where  the  soil  is  a  very  light  sand  and 
the  country  generally  level,  where  the  melon  vines 
are  sometimes  injured  to  a  considerable  extent  by 
being  blown  around  by  the  wind  and  the  conditions 
have  to  be  met. 

Here  is  the  way  one  of  our  very  successful  grow- 
ers meets  this  obstacle.  He  says:1  "I  plant  our 
watermelons  9  by  12  feet  apart,  and  immediately 
after  the  third  plowing  I  plant  a  catch  crop,  as  I  call 
it,  and  for  this  I  prefer  to  use  navy  beans.  Follow- 
ing the  row  in  which  the  hills  are  12  feet  apart,  I 
plant  a  hill  of  beans  4  feet  on  each  side  of  the  melon 
hill.  They  will  come  up  just  in  time  for  a  thorough 
plowing,  following  the  rows  in  which  the  hills  are  9 
feet  apart,  plowing  a  row  of  melons  and  then  a  row 
of  beans,  and  so  on.  This  gives  clean  ground  for 
the  vines  to  run  on  and  mellow  beds  for  the  feed- 
ers to  run  through.  The  vines  are  now  reaching  for 
something  to  catch  hold  of  to  keep  the  wind  from 
tossing  them  about;  and  they  will  soon  find  the 
bean  hill ;  or,  if  they  do  not,  they  should  be  laid  in 
that  direction,  when  they  will  anchor  to  it,  and  the 
plowing  from  this  time  on  must  be  in  only  one  direc- 
tion." 

"  I  now  discard  my  shovels,  take  a  one-horse 
plow,  and  get  a  set  of  sweeps  12  inches  wide  for  can- 
taloupes and  one  12  inches  wide  for  the  center,  and 
one  18  inches  on  each  side  for  watermelons.  The 
plow  has  a  depth  regulator  enabling  me  to  run  the 
sweeps  about  one  inch  deep.  The  outside  sweep 
will  run  partly  under  the  vines  and  shove  them  to 
1  Indiana  Horticultural  Report  for  1909. 


CULTURAL    METHODS  45 

their  place  As  soon  as  the  vines  meet,  I  cut  off  the 
ends.  I  keep  the  sweeps  running,  bearing  away 
from  the  row  a  little  each  time.  The  side  vines  will 
soon  confine  the  plowing  to  once  in  the  row.  In 
this  way,  I  am  enabled  to  plow  watermelons  when 
they  are  getting  ripe. 

"  You  will  observe  that  I  am  not  interfering  with 
the  feeders,  as  they  are  running  through  the  ground 
as  fast  as  the  vine  is  spreading  above  it,  but  I  am 
furnishing  a  dust  mulch  to  retain  moisture/  which 
is  usually  very  essential  at  this  time  of  the  year. 
I  also  avoid  the  expensive  labor  of  laying  the  vines 
for  the  last  plowing,  which  most  growers  do,  which 
usually  causes  all  of  the  little  melons  to  fall  off  and 
checks  the  growth  of  the  vines  for  a  few  days  and, 
if  it  is  dry,  will  permanently  injure  them.  If  the 
beans  are  ripe,  they  may  be  gathered,  as  they  have 
served  their  purpose." 

By  this  method  of  cultivation,  this  man  has  raised 
four  carloads  of  Monte  Cristo  watermelons  from 
six  acres,  besides  saving  500  pounds  of  seed. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
HARVESTING   AND   MARKETING    MELONS 

The  time  is  fast  approaching  Avhen  the  city  buy- 
ers— and  they  are  the  ones  upon  whom  the  large 
commercial  grower  depends  very  largely  for  his 
profits — will  demand  a  better  quality  in  the  melons 
they  buy  than  they  have  been  getting  in  the  past ; 
and  the  grower  who  has  so  developed  the  fineness 
of  flavor  in  his  melons,  as  well  as  other  good  quali- 
ties, by  selection  and  breeding,  as  to  establish  a 
reputation  for  furnishing  a  high-class  melon  to  his 
customers,  is  the  one  who  is  going  to  capture  the 
best  markets  in  the  land. 

It  is  a  notable  fact  that  our  melon  growers  have 
not  given  enough  attention  to  this  side  of  the  busi- 
ness. Most  of  their  efforts  seem  to  have  been  ex- 
pended in  developing  types  or  strains  which  suited 
their  particular  fancy  or  perhaps  which  their 
markets  demanded,  without  giving  any  particular 
thought  to  the  development  of  quality.  Types  and 
strains  are  good  so  far  as  they  go,  but  would  it  not 
be  possible  for  one  to  so  improve  the  fineness  of 
flavor  at  the  same  time  that  the  average  buyer 
would  in  time  be  able  to  associate  a  certain  quality 
or  flavor  with  a  certain  grower's  type  or  strain?  I 
am  confident  that  the  plant  breeder  of  the  future 
will  be  able  to  do  this.  In  fact,  there  are  a  few  men 
who  have  already  made  rapid  strides  in  this  direc- 
tion, and,  unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  the  next 


MARVKSTING    AND    MARKETING    MELONS  47 

decade  will  witness  still  greater  progress  along  this 
line.     (See  Fig.  10.) 

The  large  commercial  grower  of  to-day,  who 
must  ship  his  melons  long  distances,  has  but  one 
thing  in  mind — that  is,  to  get  his  melons  into  the 
market  in  good  condition  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment.  As  a  result,  the  early  shipments  are 
usually  picked  before  they  are  ripe.  Now,  we  all 
know  that  the  melon,  like  most  of  our  tree  fruits, 


Fig.  10.     A  thoroughbred  Rocky  Ford. 

will  develop  a  better  flavor  if  left  on  the  plant  until 
ripe,  but  every  melon  shipper  knows  that  he  can- 
not do  that  if  he  expects  to  ship  any  great  distance. 
They  would  be  certain  to  decay  before  reaching  their 
destination,  consequently  they  must  be  picked  be- 
fore they  are  ripe.  But  how  long  before — that  is 
the  question.  The  rule  which  holds  good  in  picking 
winter  apples  will  apply  very  well  here ;  viz.,  the 


fruits  should  be  mature,  but  not  ripe.  A  fruit  is 
mature  when  it  has  completed  its  growth ;  it  is  ripe 
when  it  is  ready  to  eat.  The  melon  should  be  ma- 
ture when  it  is  picked;  then  it  will  usually  be  ripe 
when  it  reaches  the  market,  although  this  will  be 
governed  largely  by  the  distance  they  have  to  travel 
and  temperature  to  which  they  are  subjected  while 
en  route. 

Cantaloupes  are  generally  shipped  in  refrigerator 
cars  when  going  long  distances,  and  so  they  could 
be  left  on  the  vines  longer  than  many  of  them  are, 
and  consequently  would  develop  a  much  better 
flavor  than  they  now  have.  With  our  present  trans- 
portation facilities,  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  be 
able  to  distinguish  the  right  time  for  picking  this 
fruit  for  shipping  long  distances.  The  expert  can 
do  it,  and  he  does  it  in  much  the  same  way  that  the 
apple  grower  tells  when  to  pick  his  winter  apples — 
by  their  general  appearance,  or  when  the  water- 
melon gives  out  just  the  right  sound  when  thumped. 
But  the  amateur  cannot  do  this,  and  so  he  must  re- 
sort to  Nature's  method  of  picking — when  the  stem 
will  separate  readily  from  the  melon. 

I  think  that  most  consumers  will  agree  that  the 
general  tendency  is  for  the  southern  grower,  espe- 
cially, to  pick  his  melons  too  early.  This  is  especially 
true  of  cantaloupes.  The  temptation  to  get  his 
melons  on  to  the  market  before  his  competitors,  is 
too  great  for  most  growers  to  withstand,  and  as  a 
result  we  find  that  there  is  much  complaint  about 
the  poor  quality  of  the  early  melons.  The  only 
justification  offered  for  doing  this  is  the  higher 
prices  that  these  early  shipments  bring  in  the  north- 
ern markets.  And  this  criticism  is  not  confined  en- 


HARVESTING    AND    MARKETING    MELONS  49 

tirely  to  the  southern  grower  either.  Human  nature 
is  pretty  much  the  same  everywhere,  but  the  more 
northern  grower  finds  his  early  markets  pretty  well 
occupied  with  melons  from  more  southern  districts, 
so  the  temptation  is  not  so  great  in  his  case;  but 
even  here  we  often  find  him  picking  and  shipping 
before  the  melons  are  ready  in  order  that  he  may 
get  a  few  cents  extra  in  price.  All  this,  of  course, 
has  a  tendency  to  depress  the  market  price  instead 
of  stimulating  it,  just  as  filling  the  middle  of  the 


Fig.   11.     Harvesting  cantaloupes  and  hauling  them  to  market. 

barrel  with  small  inferior  apples  tends  to  demoral- 
ize the  markets ;  because,  when  the  buyer  tries  to 
eat  an  unripe  melon,  he  naturally  becomes  skepti- 
cal concerning  the  whole  melon  business,  and  turns 
his  attention  to  some  other  kind  of  fruit  with  which 
he  is  more  familiar.  As  a  result  of  this  short- 
sightedness  on  the  part  of  growers,  not  one-half  as 
many  melons  are  consumed  in  our  large  cities  as 
there  would  be  if  the  grower  would  give  more  at- 
tention to  getting  them  on  to  the  market  at  the  time 


HARVESTING    AND    MARKETING    MELONS  51 

when  they  will  show  the  best  quality,  even  at  the 
sacrifice  of  a  few  days  in  time. 

What  the  great  majority  of  our  people  want  is  a 
good  melon,  and  if  the  first  shipments  to  reach  them 
have  that  good  quality,  that  very  fact  will  go  a 
long  ways  towards  selling  future  shipments  at  good 
prices.  How  often  do  we  hear  the  northern  house- 
wife say,  after  the  first  few  attempts  at  having 
melons  on  the  breakfast  table,  "  Why  is  it  that  the 
shipped-in  melons  are  so  much  poorer  in  quality 
than  are  those  that  are  home  grown  ? "  The  an- 
swer is  easy.  In  the  first  case  they  were  picked 
while  green ;  and  in  the  second  they  were  allowed 
to  ripen  up  on  the  vines.  Then,  too,  if  our  growers 
would  give  more  attention  to  the  care  of  the  melons 
after  they  are  picked  and  until  they  are  loaded  into 
the  car,  there  would  not  be  so  much  danger  of  de- 
cay before  they  reach  the  consumer.  For  example, 
if  one  is  so  situated  as  to  be  able  to  have  a  cool 
building  in  which  to  store  the  melons  until  they  are 
thoroughly  cooled  off,  instead  of  simply  a  shed  open 
on  three  sides  which  may  furnish  a  partial  shade 
but  very  little  protection  from  the  heat,  he  would 
be  able  to  allow  the  melons  to  remain  on  the  vines 
for  a  longer  time  and  still  get  them  into  the  market 
in  a  better  condition  than  it  is  possible  for  him  to 
do  under  the  present  system. 

But  it  may  not  be  possible  for  every  grower  to 
have  a  cool  storage  building,  but  it  is  possible  for 
him  to  improve  on  present  methods.  The  up-to-date 
apple  grower  wishes  to  get  his  apples  into  a  cool 
place,  at  least  in  the  shade,  just  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble after  they  are  picked  in  order  that  they  may 
hold  up  longer.  Melons  need  shade  for  the  same 


52  MELON    CULTURE 

reason.  In  fact,  they  should  not  be  subjected  to 
the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  after  they  are  taken  from 
the  vines  if  they  are  to  be  shipped  long  distances. 
They  should  be  covered  while  on  their  way  from  the 
field  to  the  packing  shed  and  kept  in  the  shade  until 
loaded  for  shipment.  Instead  of  this,  a  common 
method  employed,  in  harvesting  cantaloupes  espe- 
cially, is  for  the  pickers  to  go  over  the  fields  with 
baskets,  picking  those  which,  in  their  opinion,  are 
ripe  enough  for  shipping  (See  Fig  11.)  They  are 
then  placed  in  crates  at  the  ends  of  rows  or  along 
a  driveway,  where  they  remain  in  the  hot  sun  until 
they  are  gathered  up  and  loaded  on  to  flat  wagon 
beds  and  hauled  to  the  packing  shed,  which  often 
consists  of  a  roof  supported  by  posts,  and  which 
is  large  enough  to  hold  several  loads  of  melons  and 
still  leave  room  for  making  and  storing  crates. 
(See  Fig.  12.) 

Packing  As  It  Is  Usually  Done. — As  the  melons 
come  from  the  field,  they  are  loaded  on  to  an  incline 
table,  the  size  of  which  will  depend  upon  the  size 
of  the  crop  to  be  harvested,  but  it  will  usually  hold 
several  wagonloads.  The  packers  stand  at  the  lower 
side  of  this  incline,  and  as  the  melons  are  unloaded 
they  are  carefully  sorted  and  graded  into  sizes  ac- 
cording to  the  style  of  package  to  be  used.  This 
work  is  done  very  rapidly  by  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  it,  an  expert  very  rarely  picking  up  a 
melon  the  second  time.  His  eye  becomes  so  trained 
that  a  glance  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  satisfy  him 
as  to  the  proper  place  for  each  particular  melon. 
Each  crate  or  basket  holds  the  same  number  of 
melons  of  any  given  grade,  and  they  are  all  as 
nearly  the  same  size  as  it  is  possible  to  get  them. 


HARVESTING    AND    MARKETING    MELONS  53 

Style  of  Package. — The  style  of  package  will  de- 
pend very  largely  upon  the  requirements  of  the 
markets  to  which  they  are  going  and  the  kind  of 
melon  which  is  being  packed.  Fig.  13  shows  some 
packages  in  common  use.  The  half-bushel  climax 
basket  is  used  quite  largely  by  growers  in  the  mid- 
dle West  for  the  Netted  Gem  type.  This  holds  16 
melons  of  the  Rocky  Ford  or  Netted  Gem,  packed 
in  two  layers  and  two  deep.  It  requires  experience 
for  a  man  to  be  able  to  pack  these  baskets  properly 
and  rapidly,  as  the  bottom  layer  requires  a  slightly 
smaller  melon  than  does  the  upper,  and  yet  they 
must  all  fit  in  closely  when  the  basket  is  filled  so 
there  will  be  no  moving  and  consequent  bruising  as 
the  baskets  are  handled.  These  baskets  are  very 
easily  packed  into  the  car,  so  that  very  little  room 
is  wasted.  The  smaller  varieties,  such  as  the  Emer- 
ald Gem,  are  often  packed  in  smaller  baskets.  This 
is  especially  true  of  the  early  shipments. 

It  sometimes  happens  that,  during  a  peculiarly 
favorable  season  for  growth,  the  Rocky  Ford  type 
will  become  too  large  for  the  Climax  basket,  and  so 
what  is  known  as  the  Pony  crate  has  come 
into  use  in  some  parts  of  the  country.  This  will 
hold  12  melons  of  the  larger  size,  and  so  takes  care 
of  those  which  could  not  be  packed  to  advantage 
in  the  Climax  baskets.  In  portions  of  the  middle 
West,  this  crate  has  come  into  quite  general  use, 
as  it  is  easily  handled  and  packs  well  in  the  car. 
Other  sections  of  the  country  demand  a  larger- 
sized  crate,  and  some  growers  pack  in  barrels.  This 
is  especially  true  where  the  larger  varieties  like 
Tip  Top,  Montreal  and  Hackensack  are  grown.  Many 
think,  however,  that  these  varieties  are  too  large 


54  MELON    CULTURE 

and  bulky  for  crating'  to  advantage,  costing  too 
much  for  crate  material,  and  as  they  will  hold  up 
very  well  when  shipped  loose  in  the  car,  many 
growers  make  a  practice  of  crating  only  those  of 
extra  quality  which  are  intended  for  the  fancy  trade. 
In  fact,  the  same  principle  that  is  practiced  by  the 
up-to-date  fruit  grower  will  apply  here.  He  finds 


Fig.   13.     Some  different  styles  of  packages. 

that  it  will  not  pay  him  to  use  boxes  for  anything 
except  it  be  a  first-class  article  in  every  respect; 
the  expense  is  too  great ;  and  so  the  medium  grades 
of  apples,  for  example,  are  packed  in  barrels  or,  in 
many  instances,  they  are  shipped  in  bulk,  and  the 
net  returns  are  often  nearly  as  great.  So  it  is  with 
melons. 


HARVESTING   AND    MARKETING    MELONS  55 

Owing  to  the  increased  cost  of  basket  and  crate 
material,  it  will  not  pay  to  crate  anything  but  first- 
class  melons.  All  others  should  be  shipped  in  bulk 
or  in  barrels,  or  sold  at  home  for  what  they  will 
bring.  As  fast  as  the  baskets  or  crates  are  filled, 
they  should  be  stamped  with  the  name  and  grade  of 
melon  and  also  the  name  or  initial  and  address  of 
the  grower.  For  example,  Netted  Gem,  Select, 
Thomas  Henry,  or  T.  H.,  Rocky  Ford,  Col.  This 
shows  at  once  that  the  grower  has  faith  in  his 
melons,  and  that  he  is  not  afraid  to  let  the  con- 
sumer know  where  they  came  from.  It  also  en- 
ables the  consumer  to  come  back  for  more  of  the 
same  kind  if  he  finds  them  up  to  the  standard  of 
excellence. 

A  grower  who  cares  anything  for  his  reputation 
cannot  afford  to  place  his  name  on  anything  but 
a  first-class  article.  (See  Fig.  14.)  As  soon  as  the 
crates  are  ready,  they  should  be  taken  directly  to 
the  refrigerator  cars  and  packed  in  as  closely  as 
possible,  so  as  to  prevent  any  shaking  about  while 
in  transit.  Ordinary  cars  will  hold  from  1,200  to 
1,400  Climax  baskets,  which  would  make  from 
20,000  to  22,000  melons  to  the  car  of  the  Rocky 
Ford  or  Netted  Gem  type. 

Watermelons  are  nearly  always  shipped  in  bulk, 
loose  in  the  car,  and  as  about  three  times  as  many 
acres  are  devoted  to  the  growing  of  watermelons 
in  tiie  United  States  as  are  given  to  cantaloupes, 
it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  melon  business  as- 
sumes large  proportions  in  the  commercial  life  of 
this  country  and  makes  large  demands  upon  the 
transportation  facilities.  In  some  of  the  prominent 
melon-growing  states,  the  yield  of  watermelons  per 


HARVESTING    AXh    MARKETING    MELONS  57 

acre  is  given  at  from  800  to  1,200  marketable 
melons.  This  will  depend  very  much  upon  the  sea- 
son, whether  favorable  or  unfavorable,  and  also 
upon  the  soil,  the  kind  and  quantity  of  fertilizers 
used,  as  well  as  the  care  and  cultivation  given  the 
plants.  The  net  income  depends  not  only  upon  the 
above  considerations,  but  also  upon  the  distance 
from  market  and  the  shipping  facilities  furnished 
by  the  railroads.  For  example,  one  of  the  southern 
states  reports  a  larger  yield  per  acre  than  does  New 
Jersey,  but  the  net  income  per  acre  is  very  much 
less,  owing,  doubtless,  to  the  fact  that  the  New 
Jersey  growers  are  located  close  to  one  of  the  best 
markets  in  the  country,  and  so  are  able  to  place 
their  melons  on  the  market  at  a  comparatively  small 
expense.  A  grower  in  the  middle  West  says  that  a 
good  acre  of  watermelons  will  produce  about  800 
salable  melons.  It  will  require  1,200  to  fill  an  aver- 
age car,  and  the  price  will  average  about  $80  per 
carload.  This  is  about  6l/2  cents  each,  which  would 
give  $52  per  acre.  Deducting  $15  for  rent  and 
labor,  would  leave  a  net  profit  over  all  expenses  of 
$37.  The  same  grower  gives  $56  per  acre  as  the  net 
income  from  cantaloupes  during  favorable  seasons. 
Another  grower  says  a  carload  of  watermelons  per 
acre  can  be  easily  produced  with  good  care,  which 
will  bring  from  $70  to  $90  per  car,  while  under  just 
ordinary  care  one-half  that  amount  is  all  that  can 
be  expected.  Occasionally  $100  to  $150  per  acre 
is  realized,  but  not  often.  So  much  depends  upon 
the  care  exercised  by  the  shipper  in  getting  the  crop 
properly  distributed  so  as  to  avoid  losses  by  glutting 
the  market. 

Marketing. — Several    methods    are    practiced    by 


58  MELON    CULTURE 

growers  in  disposing  of  their  crops,  each  of  which, 
doubtless,  has  its  advantages,  depending  upon  con- 
ditions. Some  ship  direct  to  commission  houses, 
taking  all  the  risk  of  fluctuations  in  the  market 
themselves.  Others  sell  direct  to  a  regular  buyer 
after  the  melons  are  loaded  on  to  the  cars.  In  sec- 
tions where  melon  growing  assumes  large  propor- 
tions, as  it  does  in  certain  parts  of  the  country, 
where  hundreds  of  acres  are  grown  within  a  radius 
of  a  very  few  miles,  it  is  quite  common  for  the  large 
commission  houses  to  send  their  agents  or  repre- 
sentatives into  the  melon  fields  for  the  purpose  of 
buying  as  many  carloads  as  they  may  need  to  sup- 
ply their  trade. 

These  agents  usually  "  camp  on  the  field,"  where 
they  can  have  a  general  knowledge  of  what  is  going 
on  in  the  way  of  picking  and  packing  and  be  able 
to  take  advantage  of  any  unusual  conditions  which 
may  arise.  This  method  also  helps  the  grower,  be- 
cause he  is  kept  constantly  in  touch  with  the  latest 
markets ;  and  then,  too,  where  several  buyers  are  in 
the  field  there  is  always  more  or  less  competition, 
which  has  a  tendency  to  keep  prices  up  to  a  normal 
level.  Then,  too,  when  the  car  is  loaded  and  ready 
for  shipment,  he  receives  his  check,  and  so  all  worry 
concerning  a  glut  in  the  market  or,  possibly,  unfair 
treatment  by  his  commission  merchant,  is  avoided. 

In  some  sections  the  growers  have  formed  them- 
selves into  organizations  similar  to  the  large  fruit 
associations  of  the  Northwest  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  certain  advantages  in  the  marketing  of 
their  products,  as  well  as  in  the  purchasing  of  sup- 
plies. In  this  case,  the  melons  are  all  marketed 


lIARVKSTIXr,    AM)    MARKETING    MELONS  59 

through  the  association,  and  the  supplies  are  bought 
in  the  same  way  at  wholesale  prices. 

The  Extent  of  the  Melon  Business. — Few  people 
realize  the  extent  of  the  melon  business  in  the 
United  States  as  it  is  carried  on  today.  The  Thir- 
teenth Census  statistics,  1910,  relating  to  truck  and 
market  gardening  crops  are  not  available  at  this 
writing,  hence  it  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact 
acreage  and  yields  of  melons  in  the  United  States 
for  the  past  year,  but  according  to  the  census  of 
1900,  the  acreage  of  muskmelons  amounted  to  60,- 
854,  and  that  of  watermelons  was  199,849,  making 
a  total  acreage  of  260,703.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the 
total  acreage  has  increased  at  least  10  per  cent  dur- 
ing the  last  decade,  which  would  make  the  total 
area  at  present  cultivated  in  melons  in  the  United 
States  286,773  acres. 

The  average  yield  of  muskmelons  ten  years  ago 
was  2,350  per  acre,  and  that  of  watermelons  was 
954.  Assuming  that  the  average  yield  has  not  de- 
creased any  in  the  meantime,  the  crop  of  1910  would 
be  about  as  follows : 

Muskmelons 157,500,000 

Watermelons    209,500,000 


Total    367,000,000 

This  will  give,  according  to  the  following  table, 
8,000  carloads  of  muskmelons  and  200,000  carloads 
of  watermelons  as  one  season's  crop  in  the  United 
States,  allowing  1,200  Climax  baskets  for  an  ordi- 
narv  carload  of  muskmelons. 


TAISLK  SHOWING  THE  NUMBER  OF  WATERMELONS  RE- 
QUIRED TO  LOAD  A  CAR  OF  DIFFERENT  LENGTHS 
*Car  34  feet  long  loaded  4  deep  contains : 
800  melons  averaging  about  35  Ibs. 


850 

32 

900       " 

30 

950       " 

28     " 

1,000 

27    " 

1,050 

26    " 

1,100          " 

25     * 

1,150       " 

24    " 

1,200          " 

23 

1,250       " 

22       " 

1,300       « 

21       " 

i,35o       " 

20      " 

1400 

19      " 

1450       " 

18     " 

i,5oo       " 

17     " 

Car  36  feet  long  loaded  4  deep  contains  : 

850  melons  averaging  about 

35  Ibs.- 

900       " 

32     " 

950       " 

30 

1,005 

28 

i,  060       " 

27     " 

1,110          "                     " 

26    " 

1,165        " 

25     " 

1,220       " 

24 

1,275    " 

23 

I>33°       " 

22       " 

1,380       " 

21       " 

1,440 

2O      " 

1485       " 

19      " 

a              ft              tt 

18    " 

1,610 

17     " 

1,700       " 

16    " 

Bulletin  No.  123,  Indiana  Experiment  Station. 

60 


CHAPTER  IX 
FORCING  MELONS 

Forcing  melons  is  a  highly  specialized  branch  of 
the  melon  business  which  is  seldom  practiced  in  this 
country,  except  by  the  rich,  or  near  large  cities 
where  there  is  demand  for  unseasonable  fruits  and 
vegetables,  which,  of  course,  implies  that  there  are 
people  who  are  able  and  willing  to  pay  the  price. 
The  expense  involved  in  the  proper  equipment  and 
care  of  the  house  and  the  necessity  for  great  care 
in  looking  after  all  the  details  concerning  the  re- 
quirements of  these  crops,  is  much  greater  than  is 
necessary  for  outdoor  culture ;  hence,  the  prices  that 
must  be  received  for  the  fruit  must  be  correspond- 
ingly high,  and  this  limits  the  market  to  compara- 
tively few  buyers.  And  yet  there  is  a  field  for  this 
kind  of  work,  just  as  there  is  a  field  for  the  forcing 
of  tomatoes,  cucumbers,  and  lettuce,  which  may  also 
be  classed  as  winter  luxuries. 

The  writer  has  had  some  experience  in  forcing 
melons,  and  from  that  experience  he  is  able  to  give 
the  following  advice  to  anyone  contemplating  going 
into  the  forcing  business.  In  the  first  place,  it  re- 
quires capital  to  build  greenhouses  and  to  keep 
them  in  repair;  hence,  one  should  have  some  money 
to  start  with.  It  also  requires  much  experience  in 
the  management  of  greenhouses,  and  so  one  should 
not  attempt  it  on  his  own  account  until  he  has 
served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  business,  and  then 
only  in  a  small  way  at  first.  It  requires  a  good 


62  MELON    CULTURE 

home  market  for  the  melons  in  order  to  avoid  losses 
in  shipment,  commission  charges,  etc.  Winter- 
grown  melons  must  be  regarded  as  a  fancy  product, 
grown  only  for  a  fancy  market  and  selling  for  a 
fancy  price.  It  requires  a  knowledge  of  the  require- 
ments of  these  special  crops ;  so  much  depends  upon 
the  proper  kind  of  soil,  the  amount  and  frequency 
of  watering,  and  how  applied,  the  proper  tempera- 
ture both  day  and  night,  also  ventilation  and  the 
ability  of  the  grower  to  cope  with  the  different  in- 
sects and  diseases  which  are  commonly  met  with. 
The  striped  cucumber  beetle  out-of-doors  is  not  in 
the  same  class  with  the  Red  Spider  indoors  after  it 
once  gets  a  good  start. 

To  be  more  specific,  then,  as  to  requirements,  I 
quote  from  Bailey:1  "High  temperature  from  the 
start  (80°  to  85°  at  midday,  and  65°  to  70°  at 
night)  ;  the  plants  must  never  be  checked,  even  from 
the  moment  the  seeds  germinate,  either  by  insects, 
fungi,  low  temperature,  or  delay  in  'handling;' 
dryness  at  time  of  ripening;  a  soil  containing  plenty 
of  mineral  elements,  particularly,  of  course,  potash 
and  phosphoric  acid;  polliniferous  varieties;  the  se- 
lection of  varieties  adapted  to  the  purpose." 

If  one  can  furnish  all  of  these  requirements,  he 
may  succeed  in  forcing  muskmelons.  Watermelons 
are  seldom,  if  ever,  grown  in  forcing  houses. 

The  Forcing  House. — The  house  may  be  of  any 
length  which  can  be  properly  heated,  depending 
upon  the  number  of  plants  which  it  is  desired  to 
raise.  A  house  that  is  suitable  for  tomatoes  or  cu- 
cumbers is  good  for  melons.  There  should  be  plenty 
of  space  between  the  benches  and  glass  for  train- 

"The  Forcing  Book." 


FO RC  i  ,\  c;  A  i  P:  LO  N  s  63 

ing  up  the  vines  similar  to  the  method  of  training 
the  cucumber.  If  an  even  span,  the  house  should 
stand  north  and  south,  so  that  both  sides  may  be 
equally  exposed  to  the  sunlight.  If  three-quarters 
span,  it  should  stand  east  and  west;  the  melon  re- 
quires plenty  of  sunlight.  The  heating  system 
should  be  of  sufficient  capacity  to  maintain  a  high 
and  steady  temperature  during  the  coldest  weather, 
and  the  pipes  must  be  placed  under  the  benches,  so 
as  to  furnish  bottom  heat. 

The  Soil. — A  good  melon  soil  must  be  made.  This 
is  done  by  taking  an  old  blue  grass  sod,  or  some- 
thing similar,  cut  two  or  three  inches  thick,  and 
piling  this  up  with  alternate  layers  of  cow  manure, 
until  the  pile  is  six  or  eight  feet  high.  This  is  left 
for  a  year  or  more  to  rot,  in  the  meantime  forking 
it  over  once  or  twice,  so  as  to  get  it  as  uniform  as 
possible.  This  makes  a  good,  rich,  friable  soil  that 
will  not  need  much  more  fertilizer  to  produce  a 
good  crop. 

Our  experience  has  shown  that  subirrigation  is 
much  better  for  either  melons  or  cucumbers  than 
surface  watering.  So  before  putting  the  soil  into 
the  beds,  the  bottom  of  the  beds  are  covered  with 
soft  bricks  which  have  had  the  lower  edges  chipped 
off,  so  as  to  admit  a  circulation  of  water.  These  are 
placed  as  closely  together  as  possible,  and  the  bed 
is  then  filled  with  soil.  Opening  should  be  left  at 
frequent  intervals  for  the  admission  of  water.  This 
will  admit  plenty  of  moisture  to  the  roots  and  pre- 
vent them  from  drying  out,  which  is  a  very  impor- 
tant point  to  remember  in  the  forcing  of  melons. 
The  soil  should  not  be  more  than  five  or  six  inches  deep. 

Planting  the  Seeds. — The  seeds  may  be  planted 


f>4  MELON    CULTURE 

in  four-inch  pots  and  then  transplanted  into  the  soil 
later  on,  placing  the  plants  about  2^2  feet  apart. 
More  seeds  should  be  planted  than  are  wanted  to 
remain,  in  order  to  guard  against  accidents — thin- 
ning out  the  weaker  ones  later  on,  leaving  only  one 
in  a  hill.  If  the  crop  is  wanted  for  the  Christmas 
holidays,  the  seeds  should  be  planted  about  the  first 
of  September ;  and  for  early  spring,  plant  about  the 
first  to  the  middle  of  November. 

Training. — As  soon  as  the  plants  have  gotten  a 
good  start  in  the  bench,  the  terminal  bud  is  nipped 
out,  so  as  to  cause  it  to  throw  out  laterals;  two  or 
three  is  enough.  These  are  then  trained  up  to  a 
wire  or  cord,  and  as  soon  as  they  reach  the  top, 
they  are  cut  back.  This  will  induce  them  to  pro- 
duce fruitbuds. 

Fertilizing  the  Blossoms. — This  is  done  by  hand, 
as  the  male  and  female  flowers  are  borne  on  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  plant  and  there  are  no  bees  or  other 
insects,  and  scarcely  any  wind  to  aid  in  the  process 
of  pollination.  Hand  pollination  is  done  very 
rapidly  by  means  of  a  piece  of  clean  glass  and 
camel's-hair  brush,  as  explained  on  page  6.  One 
should  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  fertilize  the  blossoms 
until  there  are  a  number  ready,  so  that  the  fruits 
on  the  same  plant  may  ripen  up  together.  We 
should  remember  that  the  most  exhaustive  process 
on  the  plant  is  the  ripening  of  the  seeds,  hence  if 
one  melon  is  allowed  to  ripen  long  before  the  others, 
the  later  ones  are  likely  to  be  checked  in  their 
growth  and  consequently  will  be  of  poor  quality. 
Four  or  five  melons  to  the  vine  are  all  it  can  ripen 
up  properly,  and  some  varieties  will  not  carry  more 
than  two  or  three. 


FORCING    MELONS  65 

Market. — As  indicated  above,  the  demand  for 
winter  melons  will  always  be  limited  to  a  few  rich 
people  who  are  willing  to  pay  almost  any  price  for 
these  luxuries.  The  grower  should  get  from  $i  to 
$1.50  each  for  the  crop  in  order  to  pay  expenses.  If 
he  is  growing  them  on  a  large  scale  in  connection 
with  cucumbers  and  tomatoes  where  the  same  heat- 
ing plant  Avill  do  for  all,  he  could  probably  afford  to 
sell  them  for  a  little  less.  But  in  any  case  he  should 
make  his  own  market,  and  then  endeavor  to  supply 
it  with  the  best  quality  that  can  be  produced.  If 
he  does  that,  the  price  will  take  care  of  itself. 

Varieties. — Following  are  some  of  the  varieties 
which  may  be  grown  in  frames  or  greenhouses  with 
good  results:  Blenheim  Orange,  Lord  Beacons- 
field,  Royal  Favorite,  Red-fleshed  Prescott,  Delight 
of  the  Table,  Trevoux,  Noir  des  Carnes,  Tours 
Sugar,  Turner's  Seedling,  Ai  Superb,  Best  of  All, 
Diamond  Jubilee,  Invincible  Scarlet,  Hero  of  Lock- 
inge,  Frogmore's  Scarlet,  Ne  Plus  Ultra.  The 
Emerald  Gem  is  about  the  only  one  of  our  out- 
door varieties  which  can  be  forced  to  advantage. 
This,  with  Blenheim  Orange,  Hero  of  Lockinge, 
Frogmore's  Scarlet  and  Turner's  Seedling,  have 
given  the  best  satisfaction ;  but,  like  the  outdoor 
varieties,  they  will  all  do  well  when  given  just  the 
proper  care. 

Insects. — There  are  but  few  species  of  insects 
which  are  troublesome  to  the  melon  plants  in  the 
greenhouse,  but  these  few  are  enough  to  keep  the 
grower  busy  if  he  would  prevent  injury  to  his  vines 
and  a  consequent  shortening  of  his  crop. 

Red  Spider  (Tetranychus  bimaculatus)  is  one  of 
the  most  troublesome  species  to  be  met  with.  This 


66  MELON    CULTURE 

is  one  of  the  mites,  consequently  is  very  small  and 
seldom  noticed  by  the  novice  until  his  plants  begin 
to  show  signs  of  trouble.  About  the  only  thing  to 
be  done  for  them  is  to  keep  the  plants  growing  vig- 
orously and  maintain  a  moist  atmosphere  in  the 
houses  at  all  times,  until  the  fruits  begin  to  mature. 
This  will  have  a  tendency  to  keep  them  down,  as 
the  mite  thrives  only  in  a  dry  atmosphere.  One 
should  not  wait,  therefore,  until  the  mite  appears 
but  strive  to  prevent  its  getting  a  foothold  if  possi- 
ble, by  frequent  sprayings. 

White  Fly  (Aleyrodes  vaporariorum). — This  little 
fly  belongs  to  the  sucking  class  of  insects,  and  is 
often  found  in  greenhouses  both  north  and  south, 
but  it  is  more  commonly  found  farther  south.  It 
somewhat  resembles  the  aphis  or  plant  lice,  except 
it  is  covered  by  a  white,  powdery  substance  which 
makes  it  easily  visible  upon  the  green  leaves.  This 
may  be  easily  reached  by  contact  poisons  such  as 
kerosene  emulsion  or  a  solution  of  whale-oil  soap. 

Aphis,  sp. — Forcing  melons  are  not  exempt  from 
the  attacks  of  the  green  aphis,  and  these  too,  should 
be  attacked  as  soon  as  they  make  their  appearance, 
or  even  before.  The  same  remedies  that  are  recom- 
mended for  the  whitefly  will  prove  effective  for 
these.  Frequent  fumigation  with  tobacco  stems  will 
also  destroy  the  lice  as  well  as  the  fly. 

Mealy  Bugs  (Dactylopiiis  sps.). — The  mealy  bug 
is  so  called  from  the  fact  that  it  is  covered  with  a 
white  powdery  or  waxy  secretion.  This  material 
serves  as  a  protection  from  the  milder  forms  of  in- 
secticides; but  by  constantly  spraying  the  plants 
with  water,  using  considerable  force,  they  may  be 
held  in  check.  A  tobacco  decoction,  using  one 


FORCING    MKLONS  67 

JT 

pound  to  one  gallon  of  water,  will  often  prove  ef- 
fective, as  will  kerosene  emulsion,  I  to  15.  While 
the  plants  are  young,  the  bugs  may  be  picked  off 
without  much  trouble. 

There  are  one  or  two  fungous  diseases  which 
sometimes  attack  greenhouse  melons;  one,  a  pow- 
dery mildew,  which  attacks  the  upper  surface  of 
the  leaves ;  the  other  is  a  canker,  or  "  damping-off  " 
fungus,  which  attacks  the  plants  at  or  near  the 
surface  of  the  soil.  The  latter  is  aided  by  a  contin- 
ued warm  temperature  and  much  moisture  on  the 
surface  during  the  early  stages  of  growth.  If  the 
roots  are  allowed  to  get  dry,  thus  checking  the 
growth  of  the  plant,  the  disease  will  be  more  apt 
to  show  itself,  and  the  plants  will  rot  off  at  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil. 

Subirrigation  is  one  of  the  best  preventives,  as 
then  the  surface  may  be  kept  comparatively  dry. 
Putting  dry  sand  around  the  plants  will  also  help. 
Burning  sulphur  in  pans  or  on  the  steam  pipes  occa- 
sionally will  have  a  tendency  to  keep  down  the 
mildew.  We  have  tried  all  of  these  remedies  with 
good  results.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that 
in  dealing  with  these  diseases  "  an  ounce  of  pre- 
vention is  worth  several  pounds  of  cure,"  and  so 
the  person  engaged  in  forcing  melons  must  be  con- 
stantly on  the  watch  for  trouble  and  strive  to 
forestall  it  if  possible. 


CHAPTER  X 
INSECTS  AND  DISEASES 

There  is  scarcely  a  vegetable  crop  grown  which 
is  more  susceptible  to  the  attacks  of  insects  and  dis- 
eases than  are  those  plants  which  belong  to  the  Cu- 
curbitacese  family,  to  which  belong  the  melon, 
cucumber,  squash,  etc.  Some  of  these  pests  are 
common  to  all,  while  others  confine  their  attacks,  for 
the  most  part,  to  one  species. 

The  plants  are  attacked  at  all  stages,  even  the 
seeds  are  often  attacked  before  germination  by  a 
maggot  which  eats  into  them,  thus  destroying  the 
germ ;  and  by  mice  and  ground  squirrels,  which  de- 
vour them.  And  so  from  the  time  the  seeds  are 
placed  in  the  ground  until  the  fruit  is  harvested  one 
is  compelled  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  upon  them  in 
order  to  prevent  injury  from  some  one  or  more  of 
the  two  dozen  or  more  species  of  insects  and  dis- 
eases which  are  common  to  this  family. 

INSECTS 

Among  the  insects  which  are  common  to  the 
melon  and  cucumber  probably  none  are  more  uni- 
versally scattered  over  the  melon-growing  region, 
and,  possibly,  none  are  more  dreaded  by  the  melon 
and  cucumber  growers,  than  is  the 

Striped  Cucumber  Beetle  (Diabrotica  vittata. 
Fab.). — This  little  beetle  is  so  generally  known  that 
a  detailed  description  of  it  here  is  scarcely  necessary, 

08 


INSECTS    AND   DISEASES  69 

and  yet  there  may  be  a  few  people  who  are  not  ac- 
quainted with  it.  The  adult  beetle  is  about  two- 
fifths  of  an  inch  in  length,  yellow  in  color,  with 
black  head,  and  black  longitudinal  stripes  on  the 
wings  and  thorax.  The  larva  is  a  slender  wormlike 
creature,  nearly  white,  except  each  end,  which  is 
brown.  When  fully  grown  it  measures  about  one- 
third  of  an  inch  in  length. 

The  adult  beetle  hibernates  under  various  kinds 
of  rubbish,  such  as  dead  grass,  leaves,  etc.  As  soon 
as  warm  weather  comes  it  comes  forth  and  feeds 
upon  any  or  all  kinds  of  cucurbit  vines,  usually  pre- 
ferring the  squash,  but  does  not  limit  its  diet 
entirely  to  the  cucurbit  family.  Its  omnivorous 
feeding  habits  make  it  possible  for  it  to  come  forth 
from  its  winter  quarters  some  time  before  the  cu- 
curbits are  planted  and  still  find  suitable  plants  on 
which  to  feed.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  melon  or 
cucumber  plants  are  above  ground,  the  beetles  begin 
to  call  in  their  forces  and  begin  a  general  attack  on 
these  plants,  and  if  the  grower  is  not  watching  for 
them,  they  will  often  destroy  a  large  portion  of  the 
plants  in  a  single  day  or  night. 

The  injury  to  the  plants  is  done  by  eating  into 
the  stems,  usually  below  the  ground,  wrhere  they 
hide  during  the  hot  portion  of  the  day,  and  also  by 
eating  the  leaves,  which  soon  causes  them  to  turn 
brown  and  dry  up.  The  eggs  are  deposited  upon 
the  stems  just  below  the  surface,  and  as  soon  as 
hatched  the  young  larvae  bore  into  the  main  roots, 
which  causes  the  plants  to  wilt  and  die.  Thus  this 
insect  works  upon  the  plant,  as  it  were,  from  both 
ends,  or,  more  properly,  both  above  and  below 
ground.  This  active  stage  lasts  for  about  a  month, 


7O  MELON    CULTURE 

during  which  time  if  nothing  is  clone  to  prevent  it, 
the  plants  are  usually  entirely  destroyed. 

REMEDIES. — Many  remedies  have  been  recom- 
mended and  tried  with  more  or  less  success,  none, 
however,  working  entirely  satisfactorily,  except 
possibly  the  fencing-out  method.  In  some  cases  a 
free  use  of  tobacco  dust  placed  around  the  stems  as 
soon  as  the  beetles  make  their  appearance  acts  as  a 
deterrent.  Some  have  advocated  soaking  corn  cobs 
in  kerosene  oil  and  then  placing  them  near  the 
plants,  but  others  say  that  they  have  made  a  pen 
around  the  hill  with  oil-soaked  cobs  and  the  beetles 
would  eat  the  plants  and  then  crawl  under  the  cobs 
for  protection  from  the  sun.  Air-slaked  lime  is 
sometimes  dusted  over  the  plants;  this  simply 
serves  to  drive  the  beetles  to  other  fields  or  other 
portions  of  the  same  field.  Road  dust,  land  plaster, 
or  ashes  serve  the  same  purpose.  Applications  of 
london  purple,  paris  green  or  lead  arsenate  mixed 
with  bordeaux  mixture  are  used  with  some  degree 
of  success,  but  applications  should  be  frequent,  as 
new  growth  is  constantly  pushing  out,  and  this  must 
be  kept  covered.  The  bordeaux  mixture  is  used  in 
this  case  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  arsenicals 
stick  to  the  plant,  but  its  greatest  use  is  as  a  fungi- 
cide in  protecting  the  plant  from  its  numerous  dis- 
eases. 

Various  kinds  of  coverings  for  the  plants  have 
been  used  with  more  or  less  success.  One  of  these 
which  has  given  satisfaction  was  invented  by  an 
Indiana  grower^  who  now  uses  it  to  the  exclusion  of 
everything  else.  This  he  calls  a  "  dome  screen." 
(See  Fig-.  15.)  It  is  made  of  common  wire  screen 
pressed  into  a  dome  shape,  about  six  or  seven  inches 


INSECTS   AND   DISEASES  71 

in  diameter  at  the  bottom,  and  costs  from  three  to 
four  cents  apiece.  It  is  first  dipped  into  white 
paint  and  then  placed  over  the  hill  when  the  seed  is 
planted,  and  it  serves  the  following  purposes :  Mark- 
ing" the  rows,  so  that  they  can  be  easily  seen 
throughout  their  entire  length,  whether  the  plants 
are  up  or  not;  protecting  the  seed  from  the  field 
mice;  protecting  the  plants  from  the  striped  beetle; 
and  protecting  the  plants  from  hail.  It  is  claimed 
that  they  will  last  for  ten  years.  When  the  plants 


Fig.  15.     A  handy  screen  for  fencing  out  the 
striped  beetle. 

are  large  enough  to  fill  all  the  space,  the  cups  are 
then  taken  off,  nested  together  and  stored  away  for 
the  next  season. 

Early  Planting  is  one  of  the  best  protections  that 
can  be  given,  as  it  enables  the  plants  to  get  well 
started  before  being  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  these 
insects.  Where  the  plants  are  started  in  hotbeds 
or  cold  frames,  they  have  already  gotten  a  good 
start  and  are  practically  able  to  care  for  themselves 
when  they  are  put  out  in  the  open  ground. 

Trap  Crops  are  sometimes  used  to  good  advantage. 
This  beetle  is  especially  fond  of  squash  plants ;  and 


7^    .  MELON    CULTURE 

so  scattering  hills  of  these  may  be  planted  as  early 
as  possible,  so  that  they  will  have  attained  a  fairly 
good  growth  before  the  beetles  make  their  appear- 
ance. After  they  have  accumulated  in  large  num- 
bers on  these  hills  the  whole  thing  may  be  sprayed 
with  kerosene  oil.  Occasional  plants  left  in  the 
field  until  late  in  the  season,  after  everything  else 
has  been  cleared  away  and  burned,  will  give  oppor- 
tunity for  the  beetles  to  hibernate  under  them,  when 
they  may  be  soaked  in  kerosene  and  burned.  Stim- 
ulating the  plants  to  make  an  early  and  vigorous 
growth  by  the  use  of  commercial  fertilizers  will 
often  aid  the  plants  in  overcoming  the  insect 
attacks. 

The  Twelve-Spotted  Cucumber  Beetle  (Diabrot- 
ica  12-punctata). — This  species  is  almost  as  com- 
mon as  its  striped  relative,  and  during  some  seasons 
it  is  nearly  as  troublesome  to  melons  and  its  allied 
plants.  It  is  somewhat  larger  than  the  other,  more 
oval  in  shape  and  instead  of  striped  markings,  this 
one  has  12  black  spots  on  the  wing  covers.  This 
insect  feeds  in  the  same  way  as  the  other,  only  it 
has  a  somewhat  larger  variety  of  food  plants,  which 
makes  it  somewhat  less  troublesome  to  the  melon. 
There  are  two  broods  in  a  season,  the  beetles  hiber- 
nating in  the  adult  stage. 

REMEDIES. — The  same  remedies  apply  here  as  were 
recommended  for  the  previous  species,  but  clean  cul- 
ture should  be  emphasized. 

The  Melon  Aphis  (Aphis  Gossypn,  Glov.). — This 
is  perhaps  the  most  difficult  melon  insect  to  manage 
during  the  seasons  which  are  favorable  to  its  devel- 
opment. It  has  a  great  variety  of  food  plants,  in- 
cluding many  of  our  common  weeds,  as  well  as  the 


INSECTS  AND  DISEASES  73 

cucurbits,  strawberry,  cotton,  etc.  This  fact  enables 
it  to  thrive  over  a  wide  range  of  territory  and  dur- 
ing almost  any  and  all  seasons.  Like  most  of  the 
aphids,  however,  it  has  its  parasites  to  contend 
with,  so  that  it  is  rarely  abundant  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  every  season.  Like  most  of  the  plant  lice, 
it  passes  the  winter  in  the  egg  stage  on  a  variety  of 
plants.  These  eggs  hatch  in  early  spring,  and  a 
succession  of  summer  broods  is  given  off  until  fall, 
when  another  crop  of  eggs  is  produced.  The  early 
broods  are  capable  of  getting  their  food  from  what- 
ever kind  of  plant  they  happen  to  be  on,  but  as  the 
melon  plants  come  on,  winged  forms  are  produced, 
which  enable  them  to  migrate  to  the  melon  fields, 
where  they  often  settle  in  great  numbers  and  con- 
tinue to  breed  as  long  as  the  melon  plants  furnish 
succulent  food.  After  the  melon  plants  have  passed 
their  usefulness,  the  lice  then  migrate  to  other 
plants. 

Like  all  members  of  this  class  of  insects,  these 
lice  are  provided  with  a  sharp  beak,  through  which 
they  take  their  food  in  liquid  form  by  inserting  it 
into  the  tissues  of  the  leaves,  thus  causing  them  to 
curl  up  and  eventually  die.  This,  of  course,  inter- 
feres, more  or  less,  with  the  complete  development 
of  the  fruit,  so  that  oftentimes  the  later  fruits  are 
entirely  worthless. 

REMEDIES. — First  of  all,  the  grower  must  familiar- 
ize himself  with  the  insect  and  its  work  before  he 
can  do  much  towards  holding  it  in  check.  If  he  is 
acquainted  with  plant  lice  in  general,  he  will  have 
no  trouble  in  identifying  this,  as  in  general  appear- 
ance it  resembles  the  other  forms.  The  first  indica- 
tion of  its  presence  in  the  melon  field  will  be  made 


74  MELON    CULTL'RE 

manifest  by  the  curling  up  of  the  leaves  into  a  cup- 
shaped  mass.  This  is  caused  by  the  irritation  pro- 
duced by  the  insertion  of  the  tiny  beaks  and  the 
sucking  of  the  juices  from  that  side  of  the  leaf.  This 
cup  also  forms  a  protection  to  the  insects  and  makes 
it  very  difficult  to  hit  them  with  any  form  of  spray 
mixture.  Then,  too,  as  the  vines  grow  so  close  to 
the  ground,  and  as  the  lice  are  on  the  underside  of 
the  leaves,  it  is  necessary  to  spray  from  the  under- 
side in  order  to  reach  them.  This  may  be  done  in 
a  small  way  by  using  kerosene  emulsion,  with  a  bent 
nozzle;  but  it  would  be  practically  useless  to  at- 
tempt this  in  large  fields. 

And  so  the  commercial  grower  is  really  limited 
to  two  methods  of  procedure :  First,  clean  culture 
of  the  entire  field,  so  as  to  destroy  its  early  and  late 
food  plants,  as  well  as  to  destroy  its  hibernating 
quarters ;  second,  he  should  dig  a  hole  and  bury  the 
infested  plant  just  as  soon  as  the  lice  make  their 
appearance.  Nature  often  does  much  towards 
holding  these  insects  in  check  through  the  parasitic 
species  which  prey  upon  them  in  great  numbers.  In 
fact,  if  it  were  not  for  these  natural  parasites,  the 
lice  would  soon  put  the  melon  grower  out  of  busi- 
ness. 

Squash  Bug  (Anasa  tristis,  De  G.). — In  some  sec- 
tions of  the  country  this  is  one  of  the  worst  pests 
the  melon  grower  has  to  contend  with.  The  squash 
is  its  favorite  food  plant,  but  it  also  attacks  the 
muskmelon,  watermelon,  and  cucumber.  It  appears 
quite  early  in  the  season,  soon  after  the  melon 
plants  are  up,  and  multiplies  quite  rapidly.  The 
adult  is  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  of 
a  grayish  brown  color,  and  belongs  to  the  sucking 


INSECTS    AND   DISEASES  /5 

class,  or  true  bugs.  It  often  goes  by  the  name  of 
stink  bug,  on  account  of  the  very  offensive  odor 
which  is  given  off  when  disturbed.  The  eggs  are  a 
golden  brown  color  and  are  laid  in  clusters  on  the 
underside  of  the  leaves,  where  they  soon  hatch  into 
little  active  bugs,  differing  from  the  adults  in  size, 
color,  and  in  the  absence  of  wings.  They  suck  their 
food  from  the  leaves,  causing  them  to  dry  up  and 
die.  This,  of  course,  has  the  same  effect  upon  the 
plant  as  does  the  melon  aphis,  only  the  leaves  do  not 
curl  up  as  in  the  latter  case. 

REMEDIES. — Like  most  of  the  sucking  insects,  it 
is  very  difficult  to  control,  especially  if  it  has  gotten 
a  good  start  before  it  is  discovered.  Contact  poi- 
sons are  the  only  ones  recommended  in  this  case. 
Spraying  with  kerosene  emulsion  is  often  practiced 
with  good  results  early  in  the  season.  In  a  small 
way,  the  old  bugs  may  be  picked  off  and  destroyed 
as  soon  as  they  make  their  appearance,  thus  pre- 
venting many  future  generations  of  young  »bugs. 
The  bright  clusters  of  eggs  are  quite  conspicuous 
and  easily  seen  on  the  underside  of  the  leaves. 
These  should  be  picked  off  and  destroyed.  Then, 
too,  the  same  trap  remedy  recommended  for  the 
striped  cucumber  beetle  will  apply  here ;  viz.,  plant 
early  hills  of  squashes  here  and  there  in  the  melon 
field,  and  when  the  bugs  have  collected  on  them, 
spray  with  pure  kerosene  oil. 

The  Squash  Lady-bird  (Epilachna  bor calls,  Fab.). 
— We  usually  look  upon  the  members  of  the  "  lady- 
bird "  or  "  lady-bug "  family  as  our  friends,  as  the 
greater  number  of  species  are  predacious  in  their 
feeding  habits,  living  upon  other  insects  of  various 
species,  but  especially  the  plant  lice,  thereby  assist- 


76  MELON"    CULTURE 

ing  very  greatly  in  holding  these  pests  in  check. 
Occasionally,  however,  we  find  an  exception  to  the 
rule,  and  so  we  find  the  above  species  feeding  upon 
the  melon,  cucumber,  etc.,  and  often  becoming  quite 
injurious,  especially  in  the  eastern  states  along  the 
Atlantic  coast.  In  many  parts  of  the  West  it  is  not 
known  as  a  melon  insect.  The  species  belonging  to 
this  genus  are  quite  large,  of  the  characteristic  hem- 
ispherical form,  yellowish  in  color,  with  black  spots. 

The  larvae  are  also  yellow  and  covered  with 
spines.  Both  adult  and  larva  feed  upon  the  melon 
leaves  by  first  marking  out  a  circular  space,  within 
which  it  feeds  until  all  of  the  edible  portion  has 
been  devoured,  when  it  moves  to  another  position 
and  repeats  the  process.  As  the  larvae  usually  feed 
on  the  lower  surface  of  the  leaf,  they  are  more  diffi- 
cult to  reach  with  poisonous  sprays  than  are  the 
adults.  However,  as  they  chew  their  food  instead 
of  sucking,  as  does  the  melon  aphis,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  place  the  poison  where  they  will  get  it  dur- 
ing the  process  of  eating.  The  adult  hibernates  un- 
der various  kinds  of  rubbish ;  hence,  in  localities 
where  it  is  commonly  found,  it  may  be  destroyed  by 
cleaning  up  and  burning  the  dead  plants  and  other 
rubbish.  By  using  the  dome  screen,  which  is  men- 
tioned under  the  striped  cucumber  beetle,  the  early 
attacks  of  this  beetle  can  be  avoided. 

The  Pickle  Worm  (Diaphama  nitidalis,  Cram.). — 
The  adult  of  this  species  is  a  beautifully  colored, 
brown  and  yellow  moth,  sometimes  called  the 
"  pickle  moth,"  because  the  larva  has  a  habit  of 
feeding  on  the  cucumber,  both  vine  and  fruit.  It 
rarely  does  much  injury  in  the  more  northern  states, 
although  it  is  sometimes  found  as  far  north  as 


INSECTS    AXD    DISEASES  // 

Michigan  and  Xew  York.  In  the  southern  and 
western  states  it  often  becomes  very  troublesome 
both  to  the  pickle  and  melon  grower,  especially  to 
the  cantaloupe  grower.  The  larvae  first  attack  the 
plants  by  eating  holes  in  the  leaves  and  young 
steins,  later  attacking  the  blossom  buds,  destroying 
many  young  fruits  in  this  way,  and  then  later  on 
attacking  the  growing  fruit  by  eating  holes  through 
the  rind,  enough  to  render  it  worthless,  and  then 
passing  on  to  others,  treating  them  in  the  same  way. 
The  southern  grower,  who  is  raising  cantaloupes 
for  the  northern  market  often  suffers  heavy  loss 
from  the  attacks  of  this  insect. 

REMEDIES. — So  far  as  known  to  the  writer,  no  suc- 
cessful remedy  for  this  insect  has  ever  been  discov- 
ered, although  a  free  use  of  the  arsenical  sprays, 
such  as  are  used  against  the  striped  beetle  and  other 
leaf-eating  insects,  may  be  expected  to  give  some 
relief.  Rotation  of  crops  and  other  up-to-date 
methods  of  farming  are  also  recommended.  Fall 
plowing  the  melon  field  is  also  a  good  practice,  es- 
pecially in  the  more  northern  and  middle  states. 

The  Melon  Caterpillar  (Diaphania  hyalinata, 
Linn.). — This  species  is  closely  related  to  the  pickle 
moth,  and  they  resemble  each  other  in  many  re- 
spects in  both  the  adult  and  larval  stages.  In  this 
case,  however,  the  larva  confines  its  attacks  mostly 
to  the  foliage  of  the  muskmelon,  especially  during 
the  early  part  of  the  season.  It  is  confined  almost 
exclusively  to  the  southern  states. 

REMEDY. — As  it  begins  its  attacks  on  the  foliage, 
it  may  be  easily  held  in  check  by  spraying  with  one 
of  the  arsenical  compounds. 


78  MELON    CULTURE 

Grasshoppers. — In  some  sections  of  the  West,  the 
grasshoppers  often  become  quite  troublesome,  es- 
pecially in  the  watermelon  fields.  They  are  difficult 
to  manage ;  they,  of  course,  chew  the  leaves  and 
young  stems,  and  so  some  good  may  be  accom- 
plished by  spraying  with  arsenate  of  lead,  using  two 
pounds  to  50  gallons  of  water.  Grasshoppers,  like 
cutworms,  are  fond  of  sweetened  bran,  and  therefore 
much  may  be  done  towards  destroying  them  by  thor- 
oughly mixing  one  or  two  pounds  of  paris  green 
and  40  or  50  pounds  of  wheat  bran  together  and 
moistening  with  just  sufficient  water  to  dampen  the 
whole  mass ;  then  add  to  this  two  pounds  of  sugar 
and  mix  thoroughly.  A  teaspoonful  of  this  mixture 
placed  near  the  vines  will  accomplish  the  work. 

Mice  and  Gophers  or  Ground  Squirrels. — These 
little  animals  are  often  very  troublesome  in  the 
melon  fields  by  digging  out  and  eating  the  melon 
seeds  after  they  have  been  planted.  They  often  de- 
stroy the  young  plants  after  they  are  up.  The  poi- 
soned bran  recommended  for  grasshoppers  will  often 
have  a  good  effect  upon  these.  Good  results  have 
been  obtained  by  soaking  melon,  squash  or  pumpkin 
seeds  overnight  in  a  strong  solution  of  arsenic  and 
then  scattering  them  about  the  hills.  Poisoned 
wheat  is  also  recommended. 

There  are  a  few  more  species  of  insects  which  are 
more  or  less  troublesome  to  melons  which  are 
grown  in  the  greenhouse.  A  discussion  of  these 
will  be  found  under  the  head  of  "  Forcing  melons." 

I  desire  here  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  in  dealing 
with  nearly,  if  not  all,  of  the  various  melon  insects, 
much  may  be  done  towards  holding  them  in  check 
by  a  careful,  clean  system  of  farming.  We  have 


INSECTS   AND   DISEASES  79 

seen  that  some  of  the  most  destructive  species  pass 
the  early  and  late  seasons  in  feeding  on  weeds  or 
other  plants.  Destroy  these  by  clean  cultivation. 
Then  the  most  of  them  pass  the  winter  under  vari- 
ous kinds  of  rubbish.  Clean  up  and  burn  all  har- 
boring material  of  that  kind,  and  so  destroy  their 
winter  quarters.  Then,  too,  if  melon  growers  would 
practice  a  regular  three  or  four-year  rotation  of 
crops,  much  of  this  insect  trouble  could  be  avoided. 

DISEASES 

Bacterial '  Wilt  (Bacillus  tracheiphilus,  Smith) . — 
There  is  probably  no  disease  attacking  the  cucurbi- 
taceous  plants  which  has  spread  over  so  wide  a  ter- 
ritory in  the  last  few  years  and  which  has  so  baf- 
fled the  scientists  in  their  efforts  to  find  a  means 
for  its  control  as  this.  It  was  discovered  in  1893  by 
Dr.  Erwin  F.  Smith  of  the  department  of  agricul- 
ture, attacking  cucumbers  and  muskmelons,  and 
since  that  time  much  thought  and  labor  have  been 
expended  in  trying  to  find  a  practical  remedy  or 
means  of  preventing  the  disease.  Up  to  the  present 
time,  however,  it  may  be  classed  with  the  pear 
blight  in  this  respect.  Dr.  Smith  has  proved  very 
conclusively,  however,  that  the  disease  is  due  to  a 
specific  bacterial  organism,  and  that  it  is  conveyed 
from  diseased  to  healthy  plants  by  means  of  the 
striped  cucumber  beetle  (Diabrotica  vittata),  and  he 
is  also  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  communicated  by  the 
squash  bug  (Anasa  tristis). 

The  disease  may  make  its  appearance  at  almost 
any  time  during  the  summer  and  spread  more  or  less 
rapidly  as  favorable  or  unfavorable  conditions  seem 


80 


INSECTS  AND  DISEASES  8l 

to  prevail.  It  is  not  very  probable  that  the  germs 
are  carried  over  in  the  soil  from  one  season  to  the 
next,  as  the  writer  has  seen  fields  of  cantaloupes 
entirely  destroyed  by  this  disease  which  were 
planted  on  soil  which  had  not  grown  a  crop  of  can- 
taloupes for  twenty  years.  Most  melon  growers 
are  familiar  with  the  characteristic  appearance  of 
the  disease.  As  soon  as  the  germs  enter  the  leaf 
or  leaf  stem,  they  multiply  very  rapidly,  until  the 
circulation  of  sap  is  cut  off  by  clogging  of  the  water 
ducts,  when  that  portion  of  the  leaf  beyond  the 
point  of  attack  wilts  and  dies.  As  stated  above,  it 
has  been  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  disease  may 
be  spread  by  means  of  the  striped  cucumber  beetle, 
and  possibly  others.  Destruction  of  the  leaf-eating 
insects,  therefore,  is  the  treatment  recommended. 
Fig.  16  shows  the  effects  of  this  disease  in  a  field 
of  Tip  Top  melons. 

Bacterial  Soft  Rot  of  Muskmelons  (Bacillus 
Melonis,  Giddings). — Bulletin  148  by  N.  J.  Giddings, 
Vermont  experiment  station,  treats  of  a  new  species 
of  bacillus  which  attacks  the  muskmelon,  producing 
a  soft  rot  similar  to  that  of  other  vegetables,  but  the 
organisms  differ  from  the  soft  rot  type — Bacillus 
caratovorns.  Wound  inoculations  in  the  muskmelon 
generally  gave  a  complete  decay  in  from  three  to 
seven  days,  but  those  made  upon  the  broken  skin 
produced  no  effect  whatever.  These  experiments 
show  that  the  disease  is  capable  of  being  communi- 
cated to  a  variety  of  plants  through  cracks  or 
wounds,  but  the  muskmelon  seems  to  be  its  favorite 
host  plant. 

As  this  is  liable  to  become  a  troublesome  disease 
in  other  portions  of  the  country,  I  quote  from  the 


82  MELON    CULTURE 

bulletin  a  few  sentences  concerning  remedial  meas- 
ures recommended.  "  Of  course  any  remedial 
measures  must  aim  at  prevention  rather  than  cure, 
and  must,  therefore,  be  taken  before  the  disease  be- 
comes widespread.  Spraying  with  bordeaux  mix- 
ture is  to  be  commended  as  a  general  preventive  of 
this  and  related  melon  diseases.  Supporting  the 
melons  on  stones  or  otherwise  to  keep  them  from 
contact  with  the  soil,  and  occasional  turning,  will 
doubtless  give  better  results  than  can  be  secured 
in  any  other  way.  Whenever  practicable,  irrigation 
should  be  practiced  in  a  dry  time,  to  insure  uniform 
and  continuous  growth  and  to  avoid  cracking  of  the 
fruit.  Diseased  melons  in  a  field  should  be  imme- 
diately removed  and  destroyed,  and  the  crop  should 
be  carefully  watched  for  the  first  appearance  of  the 
rot,  in  order  to  keep  the  organisms  from  the  field  as 
much  as  possible,  since  the  disease  may  readily  be 
carried  from  one  melon  to  another  by  insects.  A 
field  in  which  the  rot  has  been  seriously  prevalent 
should  not  be  used  the  next  season  for  the  growth  of 
melons.  An  interval  of  at  least  three  years  should 
intervene  between  melon  crops  in  such  cases.  Rot- 
ting melons  should  not  be  thrown  on  the  compost 
heap,  or  be  fed  to  stock ;  or  else,  in  case  this  is  done, 
compost  or  manure  from  such  animals  should  not  be 
used  on  melon  fields. 

"  It  is  probable  that  little  trouble  will  be  experi- 
enced during  a  season  which  is  continuously  dry.  If, 
however,  the  entire  season  is  unusually  wet,  or  if 
heavy  rains  follow  a  dry  period,  the  danger  is  in- 
creased. Under  such  conditions,  especial  care 
should  be  exercised  in  spraying  with  bordeaux  mix- 
ture and  in  so  supporting  and  turning  the  melons 


INSECTS    AND   DISEASES  83 

as  to  keep  all  sides  exposed  to  light  and  air  as  much 
as  possible.  The  disease,  once  started  in  a  wet 
field  where  no  such  precautions  are  taken,  spreads 
very  rapidly,  and  a  melon  once  infected  is  lost." 

Rust  or  Blight  (Alternaria,  sp.  Pcglion). — The  first 
man  to  prove  that  this  disease  of  the  cucumber  and 
muskmelon  was  due  to  this  fungus  was  Peglion  in 
Italy.  About  the  same  time  Dr.  Erwin  F.  Smith, 
of  the  department  of  agriculture,  worked  out  the 
same  thing  and  came  to  practically  the  same  con- 
clusions, but  owing  to  difficulty  in  finding  the  per- 
fect form  of  the  fungus,  but  little  has  ever  been 
published  on  the  subject  in  this  country.  Next  to 
the  bacterial  wilt,  it  is  one  of  the  most  serious  dis- 
eases with  which  the  cantaloupe  grower  has  to  con- 
tend, as,  unless  the  proper  remedies  are  applied,  it 
will  often  destroy  whole  fields  of  melons  in  a  short 
time. 

The  disease  first  shows  itself  in  the  form  of  little 
brown  spots  on  the  leaves,  and  as  the  disease  pro- 
gresses these  spots  continue  to  grow,  until  they 
finally  run  together,  and  the  whole  leaf  becomes 
brown  and  dry.  Like  most  diseases  of  this  nature,  a 
warm,  damp  atmosphere  is  very  favorable  to  the 
germination  of  the  spores,  so  during  a  rainy  season 
the  disease  is  usually  much  more  prevalent  than 
during  a  dry  season.  We  find,  too,  that  if  a  melon 
field  is  somewhat  rolling,  so  that  portions  of  the 
field  are  higher  than  others,  those  plants  on  the 
high  places  are  much  more  exempt  from  the  disease 
than  are  those  on  the  low  ground,  as  there  is  a  bet- 
ter circulation  of  air  on  the  high  places,  and  the 
plants  dry  off  quicker  after  a  rain  or  heavy  dew. 

Tn   some  seasons,  this  disease  will  make  its  ap- 


«4 


MELON'    CULTURE 


pearance  early  when,  if  the  proper  remedies  are  not 
applied  at  once,  the  entire  crop  is  destroyed.  At 
other  times  much  of  the  fruit  will  have  nearly 
reached  maturity  before  the  disease  shows  itself, 
when  it  may  ripen,  and  appear  to  be  in  good  condi- 
tion, but  upon  testing  it,  it  will  be  found  to  be  in- 
sipid and  of  very  poor  quality.  Such  melons  are 
often  put  upon  the  market,  which  is  a  very  ques- 


Fig.  17.    A  field  of  melons  destroyed  by  the  rust. 

tionable  proceeding,  to  say  the  least.    Fig.  17  shows 
the  effect  of  this  disease. 

As  this  is  strictly  a  fungous  disease,  it  is  easier 
to  control  than  are  those  of  a  bacterial  nature.  Ex- 
periments have  shown  that  by  spraying  the  vines 
several  times  during  the  season  with  bordeaux  mix- 
ture, the  vines  may  be  kept  practically  free  from  the 
disease.  A  4-6-50  mixture,  applied  four  times  at  in- 
tervals of  a  week  or  ten  days,  will  usually  keep  the 


INSECTS    AND   DISEASES  85 

leaves  clean  and  healthy.  The  time  of  the  first 
spraying  will  depend  somewhat  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  the  season,  but  it  should  be  made  as  soon  as 
the  first  indications  of  the  disease  show  themselves. 
Keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  it  is  easier  to  prevent  a 
fungous  disease  than  to  cure  it.  On  a  small  scale 
a  hand  spray  pump  may  be  used,  but  for  a  number 


Fig.  18.     The  rust  may  be  held  in  check  by  spraying  with  the 
bordeaux  mixture. 

of  acres,  a  barrel  pump,  mounted  on  wheels,  or  a 
pump  with  a  row  attachment,  such  as  is  used  for 
spraying  potatoes,  will  give  good  satisfaction.  Fig. 
18  shows  a  field  that  was  sprayed  with  bordeaux 
mixture. 

Fusarium  Wilt  (Neocostnospora  vasinfecta,  E.  F. 
Smith). — This  disease  is  to  the  watermelon  what 
the  bacterial  \vilt  is  to  the  muskmelon.  Of  recent 


86  MELON    CULTURE 

discovery,  it  has  spread  over  a  wide  territory  and 
has  made  its  presence  known  in  more  than  one  wa- 
termelon field.  As  it  is  supposed  to  have  several 
host  plants,  namely,  watermelon,  cotton,  and  cow- 
pea,  it  is  capable  of  being  spread  wherever  any  of 
these  plants  are  grown,  and  that  means  over  the 
greater  portion  of  the  United  States.  Ten  years 
ago  it  was  confined  to  a  somewhat  limited  area,  so 
far  as  its  effect  upon  the  watermelon  crop  was  con- 
cerned, but  now  it  is  found  spread  over  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  melon-growing  territory  in  the  middle 
West  and  southern  states. 

It  is  not  especially  influenced  one  way  or  the  other 
by  climatic  changes.  In  fact,  it  seems  to  thrive  as 
well  in  a  winter  temperature  of  15  or  20  degrees  be- 
low zero  as  it  does  in  localities  where  the  tempera- 
ture scarcely  ever  reaches  the  freezing  point.  The 
fungus  remains  in  the  soil  for  an  indefinite  period, 
and  is  ready  to  germinate  and  grow  whenever  the 
proper  host  plant  presents  itself  and  the  weather 
conditions  are  favorable. 

The  effect  on  the  watermelon  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  bacterial  wilt  on  the  muskmelon — a  wilting  of 
the  leaves  and  drying  up  of  the  entire  plant,  as 
though  the  water  supply  had  been  suddenly  cut  off. 
And,  indeed,  this  is  just  what  happens,  as  the  fun- 
gus finds  an  entrance  into  the  plant  through  the 
root  system,  and  as  it  develops  it  clogs  up  the  ducts, 
thus  preventing  the  moisture,  which  is  taken  up  by 
the  roots,  from  reaching  the  foliage.  This  can  be 
readily  seen  by  examining  a  cross-section  of  the 
stem  near  the  roots  under  a  microscope  The  in- 
fected part  will  also  show  a  dark  discoloration  not 
found  in  a  healthy  plant. 


INSECTS    AND   DISEASES  87 

A  careful  study  of  this  disease  in  different  por- 
tions of  the  country  seems  to  indicate  that  a  long 
rotation  of  crops,  extending  over  five  or  six  years, 
will  assist  very  greatly  in  keeping  down  the  dis- 
ease, as  the  germs  are  carried  over  from  year  to  year 


Fig.  19.     A  rust-resistant  Rocky  Ford;    note  the  fine  netting. 

in  the  soil.  In  no  case  should  watermelons  follow 
watermelons  two  years  in  succession.  Then,  too, 
all  diseased  vines  should  be  burned  and  all  infected 
fruit  be  disposed  of  in  some  place  where  the  land 
will  not  be  used  for  growing  melons. 

Disease-Resistant  Plants. — If  we  go  into  a  melon 
field  where  this  disease  is  quite  prevalent,  we  will 
usually  find  here  and  there  plants  which  are  per- 


88 


MELON    CULTURE 


fectly  healthy  and  which  apparently  have  the  power 
to  resist  or  to  throw  off  the  disease.  In  fact,  some 
varieties  seem  to  have  that  inherent  quality,  which 
enables  them  to  escape  the  disease,  while  others 
in  the  same  field  succumb  to  it.  This  fact  enables 
the  plant  breeder  to  make  his  selections  of  fruits 
for  seed  from  these  apparently  immune  plants,  and 
so,  after  a  time,  to  produce  a  disease-resistant  strain. 


Fig.  20.     A  well-sprayed  melon  vine. 

(Fig.  19.)  Let  it  be  understood,  however,  that  a 
disease-resistant  strain  which  has  been  developed 
in  one  section  of  the  country  will  not  necessarily 
remain  resistant  when  grown  in  some  other  locality 
under  very  different  climatic  conditions.  The  tend- 
ency, however,  is  for  it  to  become  resistant  under 
its  new  environments  much  quicker  and  more  easily 
than  if  it  had  never  developed  that  quality. 

Experiments  have  proven  that  a  resistant  variety 


INSECTS   AND  DISEASES  89 

in  Colorado,  brought  to  the  moister  climate  of  the 
Ohio  valley,  developed  the  old  tendency  to  disease 
again,  but  by  careful  selection  after  the  second  or 
third  generation,  under  its  new  environment,  it 
again  became  as  resistant  as  before.  And  so,  with 
only  our  present  knowledge  of  these  fungous  and 
wilt  diseases  to  guide  us,  it  would  seem  that  the 
only  satisfactory  remedies  which  may  be  safely 
recommended  are  a  long  rotation  of  crops  and  care- 
ful selection  and  breeding  of  varieties  which  are  im- 
mune to  the  disease. 

There  are  a  few  other  diseases  which  are  more  or 
less  common  on  cucurbitaceous  plants  and  which 
affect  the  melon  with  the  others,  such  as  the 

Scab  (Cladosporium  cucuiticrinum,  Ell.  &  Arth.). — 
On  melons  it  produces  small,  sunken  spots,  mostly 
on  the  fruit,  but  sometimes  on  the  stems.  It  is 
mostly  present  during  very  wet  weather. 

Anthracnose  (Colletotrichwn  lagenarium,  Pass.). — 
This  disease  affects  both  fruit  and  leaves,  produc- 
ing brown  spots  on  the  leaves  and  small  sunken 
spots  which  cause  the  fruit  to  rot. 

Downy  Mildew  (Plasmopara  cubensis,  B.  &  C.). — 
Most  common  on  cucumbers,  but  it  affects  all  kinds 
of  cucurbits.  A  full  account  of  this  disease  may  be 
found  in  Bulletin  No.  119,  New  York  Experiment 
Station.  (Fig.  20.) 


CHAPTER  XI 
LIST  OF  VARIETIES 

The  following  alphabetical  list  includes  most  of 
the  varieties  commonly  grown  in  the  different  sec- 
tions of  the  United  States.  There  may  be  some 
more  or  less  local  varieties  which  have  been  over- 
looked. There  are  also  numerous  strains  of  the 
different  varieties  of  both  muskmelons  and  water- 
melons, which  are  more  or  less  local  in  character ; 


Fig.  21.    The  Rocky  Ford  is  a  favorite  variety  with  most  growers. 

90 


in  fact,  it  often  happens  that  a  grower  will  have 
some  particular  strain  which  he  has  developed  by  a 
long-  process  of  selection  and  which  is  peculiarly 
adapted  to  his  soil  and  situation,  and  he  regards  it 
as  superior  to  the  original  variety,  and  that  is  often 
true.  (See  Fig.  21.)  Such  strains,  however,  often 
prove  disappointing  when  the  seed  is  carried  to 


Fig.  22.    A  trio  of  Tip  Tops  from  the  Ohio  valley. 

other  localities  and  planted   in  different   soils   and 
grown  under  different  climatic  conditions. 

Varieties  have  their  preferences  as  to  soil  and 
climate;  hence  it  often  happens  that  one  variety 
will  prove  valuable  in  one  locality  and  very  undesir- 
able in  another.  Hence,  the  necessity  for  the  large 
number  of  varieties  which  we  now  have  in  the 
United  States.  For  example,  in  one  of  the  large 
melon  districts  of  the  middle  West,  the  Rocky  Ford 


92  MELON    CULTURE 

type  of  cantaloupe,  which  can  be  shipped  in  crates 
and  baskets,  is  very  popular  and  almost  universally 
grown,  while  in  another  section  of  the  same  state, 
the  Tip  Top,  a  larger,  rougher  melon,  is  grown,  and 
these  can  be  easily  shipped  in  bulk,  like  water- 
melons. (Fig.  22.)  To  be  sure,  the  market  plays 
an  important  part  when  it  comes  to  the  selection  of 
varieties  of  melons,  as  it  does  in  the  selection  of 
varieties  of  fruits ;  hence,  before  going  into  the  busi- 
ness on  a  large  scale,  it  is  always  best  to  ascertain, 
either  by  experience  or  observation,  which  varieties 
are  best  suited  to  meet  the  existing  conditions. 

But  we  will  find  this  to  be  true  among  melons  as 
well  as  among  fruits,  that  there  are  a  few  varieties 
which  may  be  depended  upon  under  almost  any 
conditions — such  as  the  Emerald  Gem  and  Rocky 
Ford  muskmelons,  and  the  Kolb's  Gem  and  Georgia 
Rattlesnake  watermelons. 

In  the  following  list  a  brief  description  is  given 
of  each  variety  for  the  benefit  of  those  whose 
knowledge  of  varieties  may  be  somewhat  limited. 

LIST  OF  VARIETIES 

MUSKMELONS 

Acme. — Fruits  medium  size,  oval  in  form,  with  a  slight  neck  at 
the  stem  end;  well  ribbed  and  heavily  netted;  skin  a 
golden  color  when  ripe ;  flesh  firm  and  of  good  quality. 

Admiral  Togo. — Fruit  medium  in  size;  flesh  orange  and  very 
meaty,  leaving  a  very  small  seed  cavity.  Quality  fine. 

Arlington  Nutmeg. — A  favorite  in  the  Boston  market  on  ac- 
count of  its  fine  flavor;  flesh  green  and  ripens  early. 

Baltimore  Market. — Oblong  in  shape,  flesh  orange,  of  fine 
flavor;  midseason. 

Banana. — This  name  comes  from  the  fact  that  the  fruit  is  long 
and  slender,  with  a  banana-like  aroma  when  ripe.  The 
salmon-colored  flesh  is  quite  thick  and  firm,  and  is  thought 


LIST    OF   VARIETIES  93 

by  many  people  to  be  of  excellent  flavor,  although  most 
people  would  prefer  the  Rocky  Ford  or  Emerald  Gem. 

Banquet. — Fruits  are  well  netted,  medium  size;  flesh  salmon 
color  and  of  excellent  quality. 

Bay  View. — Fruit  long,  often  a  foot  or  more,  oblong,  quite 
heavily  ribbed  and  netted,  good  quality  and  fine  for  home 
use. 

Burr  ell's  Gem. — Fruit  oval  in  shape  and  of  fairly  good  size* 
flesh  an  orange  color,  and  has  a  very  agreeable,  spicy 
flavor. 

Cassaba. — Fruit  large;  flesh  green  and  of  good  quality.  One 
of  the  largest  muskmelons  grown. 

Champion  Market. — Fruit  resembles  the  Netted  Gem,  except 
that  this  is  much  larger ;  the  flesh  is  green  and  of  fine 
quality  and  a  good  shipper.  Ripens  early. 

Chicago  Market. — This  is  one  of  the  larger  types  of  uniform 
'size;  skin  thickly  netted;  seed  cavity  quite  small;  flesh 
green,  of  fine  flavor ;  ripens  early,  but  is  a  good  keeper. 

Cosmopolitan. — "It  is  said  to  combine  the  firm,  sweet  flesh  of 
the  French  cantaloupe  with  the  delicious  flavor  of  the 
American  muskmelon."  A  very  handsome,  green-flesh 
fruit,  slightly  oval,  without  ribs.  Color,  light  green,  but 
at  maturity  it  is  covered  with  a  dense  silver-gray  netting. 

Defender. — This  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  yellow-flesh  varie- 
ties, of  medium  size,  oval  in  shape;  flesh  firm  and  rich. 
Vines  vigorous  and  productive.  Needs  plenty  of  room. 

Early  Christiana. — Fruit  yellow-fleshed,  very  rich  and  juicy. 

Early  Citron. — An  early,  flattened  sort;  flesh  green  and  of  fair 
quality. 

Early  Hackensack. — Much  the  same  as  Hackensack,  but  ripens 
about  ten  days  earlier.  A  strain  of  the  old  variety. 

Emerald  Gem. — Fruit  small,  round,  dark  green  ;  orange-colored 
flesh  and  very  sweet;  one  of  the  best  for  home  use  and 
near-by  market. 

Pordhook. — Fruit  medium  in  size;  flesh  thick,  orange-yellow 
color,  of  the  highest  flavor  when  well  grown.  A  good 
shipper  in  baskets  or  crates. 

Garden  Lemon. — Or  Lemon  Cucumber ;  fruits  nearly  round, 
yellow  ground  with  green  markings ;  a  smooth  skin ;  flesh 
very  tender,  and  has  a  sweet,  melon  flavor.  It  is  princi- 
pally used  for  flavoring.  Does  not  belong  with  the  garden 
melon,  botanically  speaking. 

Golden  Jenny. — A  small,  very  early  variety;  a  good  shipper; 
said  to  be  an  improvement  on  the  Jenny  Lind. 

Hackensack. — This  is  one  of  the  old,  popular  varieties,  largely 


94  MKLON    CULTl'kK 

grown  in  certain  sections.  The  fruit  is  large,  nearly  round 
and  of  good  quality. 

Honey  Drop. — Fruit  round,  somewhat  flattened  at  the  ends;  of 
good  size;  flesh  thick,  sweet  and  melting;  a  deep  orange 
color;  ripens  very  early. 

Hoodoo. — A  popular  variety  in  the  Chicago  market,  where  it 
brings  the  highest  prices  on  account  of  its  high  quality.  It 
is  about  the  size  of  the  Rocky  Ford,  but  more  round;  flesh 
deep  orange,  with  a  small  seed  cavity. 

Jenny  Lind. — This  is  a  small  green-fleshed  variety  of  fine  qual- 
ity and  ripening  very  early. 

Jersey  Belle. — It  is  not  so  early,  but  much  like  Jenny  Lind. 
Fruits  flattened  at  the  ends,  with  heavy  ribs  and  coarsely 
netted.  Flesh,  green  and  good. 

Kinsman's  Queen. — Similar  to  Emerald  Gem  in  shape  and 
quality,  but  much  larger. 

Knight. — This  is  a  popular  variety  in  certain  portions  of  Vir- 
ginia, but  is  not  very  widely  known. 

Livingston's  Market. — Said  to  be  able  to  withstand  drought  and 
other  discouragements  better  than  most  other  varieties ; 
flesh  green,  of  good  quality. 

Long  Island  Beauty. — ^his  is  of  the  Hackensack  type — a  very 
handsome  early  melon  of  the  finest  quality.  It  is  popular 
in  the  eastern  markets. 

McCotter's  Pride. — A  late  variety,  which  has  been  bred  for 
large  size,  but  it  has  a  fine-grained  flesh  and  high  quality. 
Nearly  round ;  only  moderately  ribbed ;  dark  green  color  ; 
orange  flesh,  which  is  very  thick,  sweet,  and  of  fine  flavor. 

Mammoth,  Prolific. — A  large-fruited  variety,  weighing  from 
12  to  15  pounds ;  deeply  ribbed  and  covered  with  a  coarse 
netting;  flesh  green  and  thick,  with  a  fine  flavor;  ripens 
late,  but  the  vine  is  quite  hardy. 

Mango  Melon. — Sometimes  called  vegetable  peach.  About  the 
size  and  color  of  an  orange,  with  a  white  flesh.  Used  for 
making  sweet  pickles  and  preserves.  Belongs  with  Garden 
Lemon. 

Matchless. — Fruit  of  the  Netted  Gem  type,  but  of  larger  size 
than  that  variety;  averaging  about  5  by  6  inches  in  diam- 
eter. The  flesh  is  very  thick,  light  green  in  color  and  of 
good  quality.  It  is  a  good  shipper. 

Uelrose. — This  is  a  very  popular  variety  with  some  growers. 
It  is  nearly  round,  'dark-green  skin,  changing  to  a  russet 
color  as  it  approaches  maturity.  There  are  no  ribs,  but  it 
is  thickly  netted.  The  fruits  run  about  G  inches  in  diam- 
eter, with  a  thin  but  tough  skin,  making  it  a  very  good 


LIST   OF  VARIETIES  95 

shipper.  The  flesh  is  light  green,  shading  to  a  rich  salmon 
color  at  the  seed  cavity.  The  flavor  is  excellent. 

Milwaukee  Market. — Fruit  light  green,  nearly  round,  slightly 
ribbed;  flesh  salmon  color,  of  good  quality;  especially 
adapted  to  the  home  garden. 

Montreal  Market. — A  well-known  variety,  with  flattened  fruits, 
which  are  heavily  ribbed.  The  flesh  is  green  and  of  good 
quality.  This  is  one  oi  the  old  stand-bys  in  certain  sec- 
tions of  the  country,  especially  in  Canada  near  Montreal. 
It  finds  a  ready  sale  in  the  Boston  market. 

Netted  Gem. — A  very  popular  variety  in  the  middle  West, 
where  it  is  largely  grown  for  shipping  in  crates  and 
baskets ;  fruit  round  or  slightly  oval,  rather  small ;  green 
flesh  of  high  quality.  There  are  various  strains  of  this 
variety,  generally  known  by  the  shape. 

Netted  Rock. — A  new  variety  about  the  size  of  the  Rocky  Ford, 
but  more  heavily  netted;  seed  cavity  small;  the  green 
flesh  thick  and  very  sweet.  It  is  claimed  by  the  originator 
to  be  practically  rust-proof  and  well  adapted  for  both 
market  and  home  use. 

New  Dandy. — This  was  introduced  to  the  trade  in  1909,  and  is 
described  as  being  of  a  roundish  shape,  dark  green,  nicely 
netted,  quite  early,  and  very  prolific.  Size  medium  to 
large,  with  a  fine  quality. 

Nutmeg. — This  name  is  very  loosely  used,  it  being  applied  to 
almost  any  of  the  smaller  varieties.  This,  however,  is  a 
very  early  green-fleshed  variety,  of  excellent  quality,  and 
was  named  from  its  shape. 

Ohio  Sugar. — This  is  a  green-fleshed  Tip  Top,  said  to  be  the 
sweetest  and  most  luscious  green-fleshed  variety  now  on 
the  market.  Shape  round,  slightly  inclined  to  oval ;  heavily 
ribbed  and  netted;  skin  grayish  green;  very  prolific  and 
solid  enough  for  a  good  shipper. 

Osage  or  Miller's  Cream. — The  fruit  is  similar  in  shape  to  the 
Emerald  G^m,  but  larger:  dark  green  with  light  bands 
between  the  ribs ;  flesh  thick,  orange  color,  and  of  good 
quality.  One  of  those  varieties  which  are  widely  known 
among  melon  growers. 

Paul  Rose. — This  variety  gets  its  name  from  the  originator, 
who  is  one  of  the  largest  melon  growers  in  the  middle 
West.  It  belongs  to  the  Rocky  Ford  type,  oval  in  shape, 
orange  flesh,  which  is  very  sweet.  A  very  handsome  and 
popular  variety  where  known. 

Prolific  Nutmeg. — A  large-fruited  variety,  which  is  slightly 
flattened  at  the  ends.  Its  quality  is  only  medium. 

Rocky  Ford. — This  is  a  very  popular  variety  in  the  West  and 


()6  MELON    CULTURE 

South,  as  it  is  of  convenient  size  to  ship  well,  and  is  early 
in  maturing.  Many  of  the  large  growers  look  to  Rocky 
Ford,  Colorado,  for  their  seed  each  season,  and  in  this 
way  are  able  to  keep  up  the  standard  of  excellence  which 
is  found  in  this  variety,  for  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
different  soils  and  climate,  together  with  the  different 
methods  of  cultivation,  will  often  affect,  not  only  the  qual- 
ity, but  the  general  type  of  melon  produced.  The  Rocky 
Ford  is  an  improved  type  of  the  Netted  Gem,  and  when 
well  grown  is  very  sweet  and  fine  flavored,  scarcely  ex- 
celled by  any  variety  grown  in  its  territory. 

Rose  Gem. — Said  to  be  an  improvement  on  the  Netted  Gem. 

Skillman's  Netted. — Fruits  are  oval  in  shape;  ripens  early; 
green  flesh ;  sweet,  with  a  rich  perfume. 

Spicy. — This  is  one  of  the  larger  new  sorts,  sometimes  meas- 
uring 9  or  10  inches  in  length  and  two-thirds  as  wide. 
The  fruit  is  very  solid,  with  a  small  seed  cavity ;  flesh  very 
thick  and  of  a  rich  salmon  color,  with  a  fine  flavor.  The 
surface  is  smooth,  except  a  slight  netting,  becoming  a  gray- 
ish yellow  as  it  approaches  maturity. 

Strawberry — A  very  nice,  red-fleshed  variety,  with  a  sweet 
strawberry  flavor,  weighing  from  six  to  eight  pounds. 

Surprise. — Fruits  oblong  in  shape,  with  a  rich  orange  flesh  of 
good  quality.  Ripens  early. 

Sweet  Air. — A  comparatively  new  variety,  grown  to  some  ex- 
tent in  Virginia. 

Syracuse. — This  is  one  of  the  larger  melons,  with  good  quality. 
The  surface  is  grayish  green,  with  a  light-green  flesh.  Also 
somewhat  local  in  character. 

Texas  Cannonball. — So  named  because  of  its  round  shape.  It 
is  handsomely  netted,  with  a  green  flesh,  and  is  said  to  be 
very  prolific  under  good  cultivation. 

The  Grand. — This  is  a  popular  variety  in  the  middle  West, 
where  it  is  grown  quite  extensively.  It  is  too  large  for 
packing  in  baskets  or  crates,  and  so  is  usually  shipped  in 
bulk  like  watermelons.  The  fruit  is  nearly  round,  some- 
what flattened  at  the  ends,  strongly  ribbed,  and  slightly 
netted.  Flesh  yellow,  sweet  and  juicy,  of  high  quality. 

White  Japan. — An  early  variety,  with  a  white  skin  and  light- 
green  flesh ;  belongs  in  the  novelty  class. 

ENGLISH  FRAME  VARIETIES 

Grown  in  frames  or  hothouses,  both  in  Europe  and  America. 
Blenheim  Orange  Lord  Beaconsfield 

Eclipse  Red-fleshed  Fresco tt 

Royal  Favorite 


LIST    OF   VARIETIES  97 

FRENCH  VARIETIES 

Also  grown  in  frames,  but  will  grow  out-of-doors  in  this 
country  under  favorable  conditions  : 

Delight  of  the  Table  Tours  Sugar 

Noir  des  Cannes  Trevoux 

SOME  GOOD  FORCING  VARIETIES  GROWN  IN  THIS  COUNTRY 

A i  Superb. — Scarlet  flesh. 

Best  of  A  //.—Green  flesh. 

Diamond  Jubilee. — Green  flesh. 

Frogmore  Scarlet. — A  handsome  scarlet-fleshed  variety;    fruit 

oval,  closely  netted,  and  of  excellent  flavor. 
Hero    of   Locking e. — Fruit  with    white    lacing   on    a    yellow 

ground ;   flesh  white ;   fine  flavor. 
Invincible  Scarlet. — Scarlet  flesh  of  good  flavor. 
Ne  Plus  Ultra. — Fruit  globe-shaped,  flesh  white,  very  thick,  and 

of  fine  flavor. 

Royal  Sovereign. — White  flesh  of  excellent  flavor. 
Turner's  Seedling. — A  high  quality  melon,  originating  in  New 

Jersey. 

WATERMELONS 

Alabama  Sweet. — This  is  grown  quite  largely  in  the  South  for 
northern  markets,  as  it  ships  well,  having  a  firm  rind,  dark- 
green  striped.  Flesh  bright  red,  with  white  seeds. 

Angel  Kiss. — A  very  popular  variety  in  the  South  and  West 
for  home  use.  It  is  quite  early  and  of  fine  quality.  Ripens 
about  with  the  Halbert  Honey.  Size  medium,  thin  rind, 
nearly  white ;  crimson  flesh,  with  small  white  seeds. 

Arkansaw  Traveler. — Is  much  like  the  Florida  Favorite,  and 
is  grown  more  in  the  South  than  in  the  North. 

Augusta  Round. — This  is  a  midseason  variety;  round,  with  a 
bright-red  flesh,  very  sweet,  with  white  seeds. 

Black  Bowlder. — Large,  dark,  green  skin;   nearly  round. 

Black  Diamond. — Large,  round,  dark  green,  with  a  tough  skin, 
making  it  a  good  shipper.  A  popular  variety  wherever 
grown. 

Black  Spanish. — Roundish  in  form,  with  a  very  dark  sl$in  and 
deep-red  flesh ;  ripens  early. 

Boss. — Oblong  in  shape;  dark  green  in  color;  flesh  deep 
scarlet ;  ripens  midseason. 

Bradford. — This  is  a  long  melon  of  dark  color  with  a  sweet, 
tender  flesh. 

Citron  (green-seeded  and  red-seeded). — Used  for  preserving. 


98  MELON    CULTURE 

Coe's  Early. — A  small,  early  variety,  with  a  green  skin  with 
white  stripes. 

Colorado  Preserving. — This  is  a  large-fruited  citron,  used  only 
for  preserving. 

Cuban  Queen. — This  is  a  native  of  the  West  Indies,  and  was 
introduced  into  this  country  in  1881.  It  has  become  very 
popular  in  many  sections  of  the  country.  It  is  a  large, 
oblong  melon  with  well-marked  light  and  dark-green 
stripes. 

Dark  Icing. — The  fruit  is  roundish  oval  in  form,  skin  dark 
green ;  deep  pink  flesh  of  excellent  quality.  Very  popu- 
lar in  the  East  as  a  market  variety  where  quality  is  the 
principal  consideration. 

Dixie. — This  is  noted  in  the  South  for  its  market  qualities 
owing  to  its  large  size  under  good  cultural  conditions.  The 
color  is  dark  green,  with  lighter  stripes ;  flesh  bright  red 
and  the  quality  excellent. 

Duke  Jones. — A  dark-green  variety  of  good  size  and  fine 
flavor. 

Earliest  and  Sweetest. — A  new  variety  said  to  be  the  earliest 
and  sweetest  watermelon  known.  Size  medium,  averaging 
10  to  fifteen  pounds,  about  twice  as  long  as  broad,  dark 
ground  with  lighter  markings;  flesh  scarlet,  seeds  white 
or  light  cream.  A  cross  between  Mountain  Sweet  and 
Cole's  Early. 

Florida  Favorite. — This  is  highly  prized  in  the  South  as  a 
market  melon,  many  carloads  of  them  being  sent  North. 
It  is  also  highly  prized  in  the  home  market.  Many  of  the 
larger  Northern  growers  also  look  upon  it  as  one  of  their 
most  reliable  varieties.  The  fruit  is  large,  oblong  in 
shape,  with  a  dark  green  rind,  with  still  darker  stripes. 
It  presents  a  beautiful  appearance  in  the  field,  as  well  as 
upon  the  market  stands. 

Fordhook  Early. — This  is  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  large- 
fruited  melons  and  is  becoming  quite  generally  grown,  as 
it  ripens  several  days  earlier  than  any  of  those  commonly 
grown.  The  fruit  is  rather  short  and  blocky,  dark  green 
in  color,  faintly  striped  with  lighter  green.  The  quality  is 
excellent. 

Gray  Monarch  (Long  White  Icing). — A  large,  long,  light- 
colored  melon,  somewhat  mottled;  deep  red  flesh  of  fine 
flavor.  It  often  weighs  from  50  to  60  pounds  under  good 
treatment. 

Halbert  Honey. — This  variety  is  intended  for  the  home  garden 
and  nearby  markets,  as  it  will  not  stand  shipping  as  well 


LIST    OF   VARIETIES  99 

as  some  of  the  other  varieties.  It  is  especially  noted  for 
its  thin  rind,  fine  flavor,  and  productiveness. 

Harris's  Earliest.— A  small,  very  early  melon  of  only  fair 
quality,  but  brings  good  returns  on  account  of  its  earliness. 

Hungarian  Honey. — A  small,  round  variety,  with  deep-red 
flesh  noted  for  its  fine  quality.  Too  small  for  the  larger 
markets. 

Iceberg  (Blue  Gem). — A  large,  oval  melon,  with  a  rich  dark 
green  color,  striped  with  a  lighter  green.  Very  highly 
prized  in  certain  localities. 

Ice  Cream  (Peerless).— Oblong  in  shape,  dark  green  in  color; 
flesh  a  bright  pink,  with  a  very  sweet  delicious  flavor.  Es- 
pecially desirable  for  the  home  market. 

Iced  Honey. — A  new  early  variety,  rather  small  but  fine  for 
home  use.  Fruit  nearly  round  and  of  dark  green  color; 
flesh  dark  red,  with  a  rich  honey  flavor. 

Kleckley  Sweets  (Monte  Cristo). — A  well-known  variety  that 
is  prized  for  its  delicious  flavor.  Especially  desirable  for 
home  use  and  the  nearby  market,  where  quality  is  pre- 
ferred to  size.  The  fruits  are  oblong  in  shape  and  dark 
green  in  color. 

Kolb  Gem. — This  variety  is  probably  as  well  known  both  north 
and  south  as  any  other  variety  grown,  as  it  is  one  of  the 
best  shipping  melons.  Oval  in  shape,  with  skin  mottled 
with  light  and  dark  green ;  the  quality  is  not  equal  to  that 
of  some  of  the  other  varieties. 

Light  Icing. — This  differs  from  the  Dark  Icing  mainly  in  hav- 
ing a  light-colored  skin.  The  shape  and  quality  are  nearly 
the  same. 

Md-rer  Sugar. — This  is  one  of  the  good,  large  melons  of  oval 
shape,  a  foot  and  a  half  in  length ;  skin  dark  green,  with 
lighter  stripes;  flesh  a  light  pink,  crisp,  and  juicy. 

Mammoth  Ironclad. — This  is  noted  for  its  very  large  size,  being 
long  in  shape,  a  very  late  and  good  shipper. 

Mountain  Sweet. — A  red-fleshed  late  variety,  noted  mainly  for 
its  sweetness.  Very  popular  in  the  South. 

New  Chilian. — This  is  a  very  attractive  melon,  but  better 
adapted  to  a  southern  climate  than  to  the  North.  The 
fruit  is  large,  round,  dark  green,  with  darker  stripes. 
Quality  good  when  well  grown. 

Pan-mure  Allheart. — A  favorite  variety  in  some  parts  of  the 
South.  It  has  a  thin  rind,  few  seeds,  and  a  very  thick, 
sweet  flesh.  An  excellent  melon  for  the  home  garden. 

Phinney's  Early. — Oblong  shape  of  medium  size,  but  early  and 
of  good  quality. 


IOO  MELON    CULTURE 

Pride  of  Georgia. — A  popular  variety  in  the  South.  Fruit 
nearly  round,  of  large  size  and  good  quality.  Ripens  in 
midseason. 

Primus  Jones. — A  large,  quite  late  melon,  dark  green,  with 
light  stripes,  oblong  in  shape;  flesh  red  and  very  sweet; 
highly  prized  in  the  South. 

Rattlesnake  (Georgia  Rattlesnake;  Striped  Gypsy). — This  is 
doubtless  the  most  popular  variety  grown  in  the  southern 
states,  and  it  is  also  grown  quite  extensively  in  the  more 
northern  Mississippi  valley.  The  fruit  is  oblong,  of  good 
size,  handsomely  striped,  a  good  shipper,  and  of  fine 
quality. 

Santiago. — Sometimes  called  Mammoth  Santiago  on  account 
of  its  large  size.  It  is  oval  in  shape,  skin  light  green  with 
darker  stripes,  somewhat  mottled.  The  flesh  is  deep  red, 
of  fine  quality.  The  rind  is  firm  enough  to  make  it  a  good 
shipper. 

Seminole. — This  is  a  very  large  melon,  ripening  in  midseason, 
and  of  good  quality. 

Shaker  Blue. — Sometimes  called  the  White  Seeded  Triumph. 
It  is  a  very  large  melon,  roundish  oval  in  form,  weighing 
all  the  way  from  40  to  75  pounds  as  grown  in  portions  of 
the  Mississippi  valley.  The  color  is  dark  green,  with 
lighter  stripes,  but  these  are  not  very  apparent  when  the 
melon  is  ripe.  It  is  a  good  shipper  and  the  quality  is  fine. 

Snowbound. — A  medium-sized  melon  suitable  for  either  the 
home  garden  or  for  shipping,  as  it  has  a  tough  rind.  Skin 
is  gray,  flesh,  light  pink,  very  tender  and  sweet. 

Sugar  Stick. — A  large  light-green  variety,  of  oblong  form,  and 
when  well  grown  it  combines  fine  flavor  with  good  shipping 
qualities. 

Sweetheart. — A  very  popular  variety  in  the  middle  West,  as  it 
combines  size  and  fine  quality  with  a  firmness  of  rind 
which  makes  it  a  good  shipper.  It  has  a  pale-green  skin, 
with  slight  markings ;  a  deep-red  flesh,  which  is  very  crisp 
and  sweet.  Where  the  seed  is  kept  pure  the  size  is  usually 
very  uniform,  running  from  40  to  50  pounds. 

Sweet  Nabob. — An  early  variety,  round  in  form,  striped  with 
light  and  dark  green ;  of  good  quality. 

Tom  Watson. — This  is  coming  to  be  quite  well  and  favorably 
known  in  the  middle  West.  In  form  it  is  long,  oval,  often 
measuring  2  feet  long  and  1  foot  in  diameter,  and  weigh- 
ing from  50  to  60  pounds.  The  rind  is  very  thin,  but 
tough  enough  to  make  it  a  good  shipper.  The  quality  is 
very  fine  when  grown  on  the  melon  soil  of  southern 
Indiana. 


LIST    OF    VARIETIES  IOI 

Triumph. — This  is  a  well-known,  large,  rather  short  and  thick 
variety,  of  good  quality,  and  a  splendid  shipper. 

Turpen's  Gray. — A  fine,  late  variety  much  planted  in  the  South. 
It  grows  very  large  and  long,  arid  is  a  long  keeper.  Skin 
mottled  green;  rind  very  thin;  flesh  red  and  sweet,  with 
yellowish  seeds. 

Vick's  Early. — A  very  early,  long,  smooth  melon;  bright  pink 
flesh  of  fine  flavor. 


INDEX 


Page 
A 

Age  of  melon  seeds  affecting  vital- 
ity     19 

Air-slacked  lime  for  striped  beetle  70 

Alternaria  sp.  on  muskmelons  ....  83 

Anthracnose  of  melons 89 

Aphis  Gossypii  or  melon  louse.  ...  72 

Aphis  in  the  forcing  house 66 

Arthur,  J.  C.,  quotations  from.  ...  25 

B 

Bacillus  melonis 81 

Bacillus  tracheiphilus 79 

Bacterial  soft  rot  of  muskmelons .  .  81 

Bacterial   wilt 79 

Bees:  their  influence  on  the  crop. .  6 

Blinn,  P.  K.,  quotations  from. ...  24 

Bordeaux  mixture 82,  85 

Botanical  varieties: 

Cantaloupensis 4 

Reticulatus 5 

Flexuosus 5 

Chito 5 

Inodorous 5 

Botany  of  the  melon 2 


Cantaloupes 4 

Characters  of  the  flowers 2 

Citrullus  yulgaris   6 

Cladosporium  cucumerinum 89 

Clean  farming  a  prevention  against 

insects 78 

Climax  baskets  for  muskmelons ...  53 

Clover  as  a  fertilizer 30 

Colletotrichum  lagenarium 89 

Commercial  fertilizers 33 

Conditions  affecting  growth: 

Climatic 9 

Soil     9 

Temperature  of  the  soil 9 

Cottonseed  meal  as  a  fertilizer  for 

melons 33 

Cucurbitaceae  family 2 

Cultivation  of  the  plants 45 

Cultural  methods 41 


Diseases  of  melons 79 

Dome  screens  for  insects 70 

Downy  mildew  on  melons 89 

Drainage:   its  effect  on  the  soil ...  10 

E 

Early  planting  as  a  protection 

against  insects 71 

Early  vs.  late  ripening  for  seed ....  26 

Effect  of  latitude  and  altitude  on 

early  maturity 28 

Extent  of  the  melon  business 59 


Fertilization  of  the  blossoms 6 

Fertilizers  for  melons: 

Kind  and  quantity 30 

A  balanced  ration 31 

Time  for  applying 34 

Forcing  melons 61 

Function  of  root  hairs 12 

Fusarium  wilt 85 


Germination  of  seeds,  per  cent  of     20 

Goff,  Prof.  E.  S.,  quotations  from 

11,  18,  25 

Gophers  and  field  mice  injurious 

to  melon  crops 78 

Grading  melons  an  important  fac- 
tor in  maintaining  one's  repu 
tation 55 

Grasshoppers  injurious  to  water- 
melons    78 

H 

Habitat    of    the    muskmelon    and 

watermelon 1 

Harvesting  and  marketing  melons  46 

History  of  the  melon 1 

Hotbeds,  construction  of 37 

Hothouse:  its  advantages  over  the 

hotbed 40 

How  to  test  the  seed 20 

Humidity  affecting  seed  vitality.  .  19 


Depth  of  planting  in  the  North  and 

South 35 

Diabrotica  12-punctata 72 

Diabrotica  vittata 68 

Disease-resistant  strains 87 


Immature  seed:  its  effect  upon 

earliness 25 

Importance  of  careful  selection  of 
seed  melons:  how  it  is  usually 
done 22 


103 


IO4 


INDEX 


Page 

Insects  and  diseases 68 

Insects  in  the  forcing  house 65 

Introduction   of   melons   into   the 

United  States 2 


Keep  the  melons  as  cool  as  possible 

after  picking 51 


Land  plaster  for  the  striped  beetle  70 

Lead  arsenate  for  melon  insects . .  70 

List  of  varieties  of  melons 92 

London    purple    for    the    striped 

beetle 70 

M 

Mango  melon — see  variety  Chito . .  5 

Marketing  melons 57-60 

Marking  the  crates 55 

Mealy  bugs  in  the  forcing  house. .  66 

Melon  caterpillar 77 

Melon  louse 72 

Melons  as  warm  weather  plants ...  9 

Melon  scab 89 

Melon    seed,    conditions    affecting 

duration  of 19 

Mice  and  ground  squirrels 78 

Moisture  affecting  seed  vitality. .  .  19 

Muskmelons 3,  92 

N 

Navy  beans  for  anchors 44 

Neocosmospora  vasinf ecta 85 

Number  of  plants  required  to  plant 

an  acre 42 

Number  of  watermelons  to  load  a 

car 60 

Nutmeg  melons 4 


Oxygen  necessary  to  plant  growth     11 
Oxygen:  the  effect  of  its  absence 

noted  . .  11 


Packing  as  it  is  usually  done 52 

Packing  in  crates  and  barrels 53 

Paris  green  for  the  striped  beetle .  .  70 

Pickle  worm 76 

Plant  boxes 37 

Planting  the  seeds  for  forcing 63 

Planting  the  seeds  out-of-doors. . .  35 

Plant  plenty  of  seeds 36 

Plants  required  for  an  acre 42 

Plasmopara  cubensis 89 

Poisoned  seeds  for  field  mice  and 

gophers 78 

Pollination  of  flowers:  how  it  is 

done 6 

Pony  crates  for  muskmelons. .  .,  53 


Page 

Preparation  of  the  soil  for  melons .      14 
Protoplasm:  the  life  of  the  plant .  .      11 


Quality  an  important  factor  in 
melons;  affected  by  time  of 
picking  


Red  spider  in  the  forcing  house ...  65 
Refrigerator  cars  for  shipping 

muskmelons 48 

Remedies  for  field  mice 78 

Remedies  for  gophers  and  ground 

squirrels  78 

Remedies  for  grasshoppers 78 

Remedies  for  striped  melon  beetle  70 

Remedies  for  the  melon  louse. ...  73 

Remedies  for  the  pickle  worm. ...  77 

Remedies  for  the  squash  bug 75 

Remedies  for  the  squash  lady-bird  76 
Remedies  for  12-spotted  melon 

beetle 72 

Remedy  for  the  melon  caterpillar.  77 

Road  dust  for  the  striped  beetle. .  70 

Root  hairs:  their  function 12 

Rotation  of  crops  a  prevention 

against  insects 79 

Rust  or  blight  of  melons 83 

Rust-resistant  strains  of  melons..  87 

S 

Sandy  soil  for  melons 14 

Scab  on  melons 89 

Screen  for  covering  young  plants  71 

Seed  germination,  per  cent  of.  ...  20 

Seed  started  in  the  hotbed 37 

Seed  tester 21 

Seed  vitality,  conditions  affecting 

it    18 

Seeds  from  immature  fruits 25 

Selecting  the  seed  melons  from  un 
productive  plants  vs.  produc- 
tive plants 22 

Slacked  lime  for  melon  insects ....  70 

Smith,  Dr.  E.  F.,  on  bacterial  wilt  79 
Snake  melon — see  variety  Flexu- 

osus 5 

Soaking  seed  in  arsenic  for  mice 

and  gophers 78 

Sods  for  starting  melon  seeds  in  the 

hotbed 39 

Soils  for  melons 14 

Soy  beans  as  a  fertilizer 30 

Sprays  for  the  melon  louse 74 

Squash  bug 74 

Squash  lady-bird 75 

Stable  manure:  how  used 34 

Starting  the  plants  in  hotbeds.  ...  37 

Starting  the  plants  in  hothouses . .  40 
Stimulating  the   plants   to   quick 
and  early  growth  as  a  means 

of  preventing  insect  attacks.  .  72 

Style  of  package 53 


Page 
T 

Temperature  affecting  seed  vitality  1 8 

Temperature  for  forcing  melons.  .  62 

Testing  the  seed 20 

The  forcing  house 62 

The  function  of  root  hairs 12 

The  melon  aphis 72 

The  melon  caterpillar 77 

The  pickle  worm 76 

The  seed 18 

The  soil 63 

1  he  soil  for  forcing  melons 63 

The  soil:  Nature's  chemical  labo- 
ratory    12 

The  squash  bug 74 

The  squash  lady-bird 75 

The  striped  beetle 68 

The  12-spotted  melon  beetle 72 

Tile  drainage:  how  it  acts  upon  the 

soil 10 

Training  the  plants  in  the  forcing 

house  .  .  .64 


Page 
Transplanting:  distance  apart  for 

each  kind 41 

Trap  crops  as  a  protection  against 

insects 71,   75 


Varieties  for  forcing 65 

Varieties  for  outdoor  culture 92 

Vitality  of  seeds  affected  by  various 

causes 18 

W 

Watering  the  hotbeds 39 

Watermelons 6 

Wheat  bran  and  paris  green  for 

grasshoppers 78 

White  fly  in  the  forcing  house ....  66 
Winter    melons — see    variety    In- 
odorous .  .  5 


Yields  per  acre 59 


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farming  operations,  and  a  practical  book  like  Farm  Ma- 
chinery and  Farm  Motors  will  fill  a  much-felt  need.  The 
book  has  been  written  from  lectures  used  by  the  authors 
before  their  classes  for  several  years,  and  which  were  pre- 
pared from  practical  experience  and  a  thorough  review  of 
the  literature  pertaining  to  the  subject.  Although  written 
primarily  as  a  text-book,  it  is  equally  useful  for  the  prac- 
tical farmer.  Profusely  illustrated.  5^*8  inches.  520 
pages.  Cloth .  Net,  $2.00 

The  Book  of  Wheat 

By  P.  T.  DONDLINGER.  This  book  Comprises  a  complete 
study  of  everything  pertaining  to  wheat.  It  is  the  work 
of  a  student  of  economic  as  well  as  agricultural  condi- 
tions, well  fitted  by  the  broad  experience  in  both  practical 
and  theoretical  lines  to  tell  the  whole  story  in  a  condensed 
form.  It  is  designed  for  the  farmer,  the  teacher,  and  the 
student  as  well.  Illustrated.  5^x8  inches.  370  pages. 
Cloth Net,  $2.00 

(4) 


Bean  Culture 

By  GLENN  C.  SKYEY,  li.S.  A  practical  creatise  on  the  pro- 
duction and  marketing  of  beans.  It  includes  the  manner  of 
growth,  soils  and  fertilizers  adapted,  best  varieties,  seed  selec- 
tion and  breeding,  planting,  harvesting,  insects  and  fungous 
pests,  composition  and  feeding  value ;  with  a  special  chapter 
on  markets  by  Albert  W.  Fulton.  A  practical  book  for  the 
grower  and  student  alike.  Illustrated.  144  pages.  5x7 
inches.  Cloth $0.50 

Celery  Culture 

By  W.  R.  BEATTIE.  A  practical  guide  for  beginners  and  a 
standard  reference  of  great  interest  to  persons  already  en- 
gaged in  celery  growing.  It  contains  many  illustrations  giving 
a  clear  conception  of  the  practical  side  of  celery  culture.  The 
work  is  complete  in  every  detail,  from  sowing  a  few  seeds  in 
a  window-box  in  the  house  for  early  plants,  to  the  handling 
and  marketing  of  celery  in  carload  lots.  Fully  illustrated. 
150  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $0.50 

Tomato  Culture 

By  WILL  W.  TRACY.  The  author  has  rounded  up  in  this 
book  the  most  complete  account  of  tomato  culture  in  all  its 
phases  that  has  ever  been  gotten  together.  It  is  no  second- 
hand work  of  reference,  but  a  complete  story  of  the  practical 
experiences  of  the  best-posted  expert  on  tomatoes  in  the 
world.  No  gardener  or  farmer  can  afford  to  be  without  the 
book.  Whether  grown  for  home  use  or  commercial  purposes, 
the  reader  has  here  suggestions  and  information  nowhere  else 
available.  Illustrated.  150  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth.  $0.50 

The  Potato 

By  SAMUEL  FRASER.  This  book  is  destined  to  rank  as  a 
standard  work  upon  Potato  Culture.  While  the  practical  side 
has  been  emphasized,  the  scientific  part  has  not  been  neglected, 
and  the  information  given  is  of  value,  both  to  the  growej  and 
to  the  student.  Taken  all  in  all,  it  is  the  most  complete,  reliable 
and  authoritative  book  on  the  potato  ever  published  in  Amer- 
ica. Illustrated.  200  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth.  .  .  $0.75 

Dwarf  Fruit  Trees 

By  F.  A.  WAUGH.  This  interesting  book  describes  in  detail 
the  several  varieties  of  dwarf  fruit  trees,  their  propagation, 
planting,  pruning,  care  and  general  management.  Where 
there  is  a  limited  amount  of  ground  to  be  devoted  to  orchard 
purposes,  and  where  quick  results  are  desired,  this  book  will 
meet  with  a  warm  welcome.  Illustrated.  112  pages.  5x7 
inches.  Cloth $0.50 

(6) 


Cabbage,  Cauliflower  and  Allied  Vegetables 

By  C.  L.  ALLEN.  A  practical  treatise  on  the  various 
types  and  varieties  of  cabbage,  cauliflower,  broccoli,  Brussels 
sprouts,  kale,  collards  and  kohl-rabi.  An  explanation  is  given 
of  the  requirements,  conditions,  cultivation  aiid  general  man- 
agement pertaining  to  the  entire  cabbage  group.  After  this 
each  class  is  treated  separately  and  in  detail.  The  chapter 
on  seed  raising  is  probably  the  most  authoritative  treatise  on 
this  subject  ever  published.  Insects  and  fungi  attacking  this 
class  of  vegetables  are  given  due  attention.  Illustrated.  126 
pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $0.50 


Asparagus 

By  F.  M.  HEXAMER.  This  is  the  first  book  published  in 
America  which  is  exclusively  devoted  to  the  raising  of  aspara- 
gus for  home  use  as  well  as  for  market.  It  is  a  practical 
and  reliable  treatise  on  the  saving  of  the  seed,  raising  of  the 
plants,  selection  and  preparation  of  the  soil,  planting,  cultiva- 
tion, manuring,  cutting,  bunching,  packing,  marketing,  canning 
and  drying,  insect  enemies,  fungous  diseases  and  every  re- 
quirement to  successful  asparagus  culture,  special  emphasis  be- 
ing given  to  the  importance  of  asparagus  as  a  farm  and  money 
crop.  Illustrated.  174  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth.  .  $0.50 


The  New  Onion  Culture 

By  T.  GREIKER.  Rewritten,  greatly  enlarged  and  brought 
up  to  date.  A  new  method  of  growing  onions  of  largest  size 
and  yield,  on  less  land,  than  can  be  raised  by  the  old  plan. 
Thousands  of  farmers  and  gardeners  and  many  experiment 
stations  have  given  it  practical  trials  which  have  proved  a 
success.  A  complete  guide  in  growing  onions  with  the  great- 
est profit,  explaining  the  whys  and  wherefores.  Illustrated. 
5x7  inches.  140  pages.  Cloth $0.50 


The  New  Rhubarb  Culture 

A  complete  guide  to  dark  forcing  and  field  culture.  Part 
I — By  J.  E.  MORSE,  the  well-known  Michigan  trucker  and 
originator  of  the  now  famous  and  extremely  profitable  new 
methods  of  dark  forcing  and  field  culture.  Part  II — Com- 
piled by  G.  B.  FTSKE.  Other  methods  practiced  by  the  most 
experienced  market  gardeners,  greenhouse  men  and  experi- 
menters in  all  parts  of  America.  Illustrated.  130  pages. 

5x7  inches.     Cloth $0.50 

(7) 


Alfalfa 

By  F.  D.  COBURN.  Its  growth,  uses,  and  feeding  value. 
The  fact  that  alfalfa  thrives  in  almost  any  soil;  that  without 
reseeding,  it  goes  on  yielding  two,  three,  four,  and  sometimes 
five  cuttings  annually  for  five,  ten,  or  perhaps  100  years;  and 
that  either  green  or  cured  it  is  one  of  the  most  nutritious 
Borage  plants  known,  makes  reliable  information  upon  its  pro- 
duction and  uses  of  unusual  interest.  Such  information  is 
given  in  this  volume  for  every  part  of  America,  by  the  highest 
authority.  Illustrated.  164  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth.  $0.50 

Ginseng,    Its    Cultivation,    Harvesting,    Marketing 
and  Market  Value 

By  MAURICE  G.  KAINS,  with  a  short  account  .of  its  history 
and  botany.  It  discusses  in  a  practical  way  how  to  begin  with 
either  seeds  or  roots,  soil,  climate  and  location,  preparation 
planting  and  maintenance  of  the  beds,  artificial  propagation, 
manures,  enemies,  selection  for  market  and  for  improvement, 
preparation  for  sale,  and  the  profits  that  may  be  expected. 
This  booklet  is  concisely  written,  well  and  profusely  illus- 
trated, and  should  be  in  the  hands  of  all  who  expect  to  grow 
this  drug  to  supply  the  export  trade,  and  to  add  a  new  and 
profitable  industry  to  their  farms  and  gardens,  without  inter- 
fering with  the  regular  work.  New  edition.  Revised  and  en- 
larged. Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $0.50 

Landscape  Gardening 

By  F.  A.  WAUGH,  professor  of  horticulture,  university  of 
Vermont.  A  treatise  on  the  general  principles  governing 
outdoor  art;  with  sundry  suggestions  for  their  application 
in  the  commoner  problems  of  gardening.  Every  paragraph  is 
short,  terse  and  to  the  point,  giving  perfect  clearness  to  the 
discussions  at  all  points.  In  spite  of  the  natural  difficulty 
of  presenting  abstract  principles  the  whole  matter  is  made 
entirely  plain  even  to  the  inexperienced  reader.  Illustrated. 
152  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth Net,  $0.75 

Hedges,  Windbreaks,  Shelters  and  Live  Fences 

By  E.  P.  POWELL.  A  treatise  on  the  planting,  growth 
and  management  of  hedge  plants  for  country  and  suburban 
homes.  It  gives  accurate  directions  concerning  hedges;  how 
to  plant  and  how  to  treat  them;  and  especially  concerning 
windbreaks  and  shelters.  It  includes  the  whole  art  of  making 
a  delightful  home,  giving  directions  for  nooks  and  balconies, 
for  bird  culture  and  for  human  comfort.  Illustrated.  140 
pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $0.50 

(8) 


Bulbs  and  Tuberous-Rooted  Plants 

By  C.  L.  ALLEN.  A  complete  treatise  on  the  history, 
description,  methods  of  propagation  and  full  directions  for 
the  successful  culture  of  bulbs  in  the  garden,  dwelling  and 
greenhouse.  The  author  of  this  book  has  for  many  years 
made  bulb  growing  a  specialty,  and  is  a  recognized  authority 
on  their  cultivation  and  management.  The  cultural  direc- 
tions are  plainly  stated,  practical  and  to  the  point.  The 
illustrations  which  embellish  this  work  have  been  drawn 
from  nature  and  have  been  engraved  especially  for  this 
book.  312  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $1.50 

Fumigation  Methods 

By  WILLIS  G.  JOHNSON.  A  timely  up-to-date  book  on 
the  practical  application  of  the  new  methods  for  destroying 
insects  with  hydrocyanic  acid  gas  and  carbon  bisulphid,  the 
most  powerful  insecticides  ever  discovered.  It  is  an  indis- 
pensable book  for  farmers,  fruit  growers,  nurserymen, 
gardeners,  florists,  millers,  grain  dealers,  transportation  com- 
panies, college  and  experiment  station  workers,  etc.  Illus- 
trated. 313  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $1.00 

Diseases  of  Swine 

By  Dr.  R.  A.  CRAIG,  Professor  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
the  Purdue  University.  A  concise,  practical  and  popular  guide 
to  the  prevention  and  treatment  of  the  diseases  of  swine.  With 
the  discussions  on  each  disease  are  given  its  causes,  symptoms, 
treatment  and  means  of  prevention.  Every  part  of  the  book 
impresses  the  reader  with  the  fact  that  its  writer  is  thor- 
oughly and  practically  familiar  with  all  the  details  upon  which 
he  treats.  All  technical  and  strictly  scientific  terms  are 
avoided,  so  far  as  feasible,  thus  making  the  work  at  once 
available  to  the  practical  stock  raiser  as  well  as  to  the  teacher 
and  student.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  190 pages.  Cloth.  $0.75 

Spraying  Crops — Why,  When  and  How 

By  CLARENCE  M.  WEED,  D.Sc.  The  present  fourth  edition 
has  been  rewritten  and  set  throughout  to  bring  it  thoroughly 
up  to  date,  so  that  it  embodies  the  latest  practical  information 
gleaned  by  fruit  growers  and  experiment  station  workers.  So 
much  new  information  has  come  to  light  since  the  third  edi- 
tion was  published  that  this  is  practically  a  new  book,  needed 
by  those  who  have  utilized  the  earlier  editions,  as  well  as  by 
fruit  growers  and  farmers  generally.  Illustrated.  136  pages. 

5x7  inches.     Cloth $0.50 

(10) 


Successful  Fruit  Culture 

By  SAMUEL  T.  MAYNARD.  A  practical  guide  to  the  cultij 
vation  and  propagation  of  Fruits,  written  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  practical  fruit  grower  who  is  striving  to  make  his 
business  profitable  by  growing  the  best  fruit  possible  and  at 
the  least  cost.  It  is  up-to-date  in  every  particular,  and  covers 
the  entire  practice  of  fruit  culture,  harvesting,  storing,  mar- 
keting, forcing,  best  varieties,  etc.,  etc.  It  deals  with  principles 
first  and  with  the  practice  afterwards,  as  the  foundation,  prin- 
ciples of  plant  growth  and  nourishment  must  always  remain 
the  same,  while  practice  will  vary  according  to  the  fruit 
grower's  immediate  conditions  and  environments.  Illustrated. 
265  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $1.00 

Plums  and  Plum  Culture 

By  F.  A.  WAUGH.  A  complete  manual  for  fruit  growers, 
nurserymen,  farmers  and  gardeners,  on  all  known  varieties 
of  plums  and  their  successful  management.  This  book  marks 
an  epoch  in  the  horticultural  literature  of  America.  It  is  a 
complete  monograph  of  the  plums  cultivated  in  and  indigenous 
to  North  America.  It  will  be  found  indispensable  to  the 
scientist  seeking  the  most  recent  and  authoritative  informa- 
tion concerning  this  group,  to  the  nurseryman  who  wishes  to 
handle  his  varieties  accurately  and  intelligently,  and  to  the 
cultivator  who  would  like  to  grow  plums  successfully.  Illus- 
trated. 391  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $i-5O 

Fruit  Harvesting,  Storing,  Marketing 

By  F.  A.  WAUGH.  A  practical  guide  to  the  picking,  stor- 
ing, shipping  and  marketing  of  fruit.  The  principal  subjects 
covered  are  the  fruit  market,  fruit  picking,  sorting  and  pack- 
ing, the  fruit  storage,  evaporation,  canning,  statistics  of  the 
fruit  trade,  fruit  package  laws,  commission  dealers  and  deal- 
ing, cold  storage,  etc.,  etc.  No  progressive  fruit  grower  can 
afford  to  be  without  this  most  valuable  book.  Illustrated. 
232  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $1.00 

Systematic  Pomology 

By  F.  A.  WAUGH,  professor  of  horticulture  and  landscape 
gardening  in  the  Massachusetts  agricultural  college,  formerly 
of  the  university  of  Vermont.  This  is  the  first  book  in  the 
English  language  which  has  ever  made  the  attempt  at  a  com- 
plete and  comprehensive  treatment  of  systematic  pomology. 
It  presents  clearly  and  in  detail  the  whole  metho'd  by  which 
fruits  are  studied.  The  book  is  suitably  illustrated.  288 
pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $1.00 

(11) 


Animal  Breeding 

By  THOMAS  SHAW.  This  book  is  the  most  complete  and 
comprehensive  work  ever  published  on  the  subject  of  which 
it  treats.  It  is  the  first  book  which  has  systematized  the  sub- 
ject of  animal  breeding.  The  leading  laws  which  govern  this 
most  intricate  question  the  author  has  boldly  defined  and 
authoritatively  arranged.  The  chapters  which  he  has  written 
on  the  more  involved  features  of  the  subject,  as  sex  and  the 
relative  influence  of  parents,  should  go  far  toward  setting  at 
rest  the  wildly  speculative  views  cherished  with  reference  to 
these  questions.  The  striking  originality  in  the  treatment  of 
the  subject  is  no  less  conspicuous  than  the  superb  order  and 
regular  sequence  of  thought  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  the  book.  The  book  is  intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  all 
persons  interested  in  the  breeding  and  rearing  of  live  stock. 
Illustrated.  405  pages.  5x7  inches. 9  Cloth.  .  .  .  $1.50 

Forage  Crops  Other  Than  Grasses 

By  THOMAS  SHAW.  How  to  cultivate,  harvest  and  use 
them.  Indian  corn,  sorghum,  clover,  leguminous  plants,  crops 
of  the  brassica  genus,  the  cereals,  millet,  field  roots,  etc 
Intensely  practical  and  reliable.  Illustrated.  287  pages.  5x7 
inches.  Cloth $i.oc 

Soiling  Crops  and  the  Silo 

By  THOMAS  SHAW.  The  growing  and  feeding  of  all  kinds 
of  soiling  crops,  conditions  to  which  they  are  adapted,  their 
plan  in  the  rotation,  etc.  Not  a  line  is  repeated  from  the 
Forage  Crops  book.  Best  methods  of  building  the  silo,  filling 
it  and  feeding  ensilage.  Illustrated.  364  pages.  5x7  inches. 
Cloth $1.50 

The  Study  of  Breeds 

By  THOMAS  SHAW.  Origin,  history,  distribution,  charac- 
teristics, adaptability,  uses,  and  standards  of  excellence,  of  all 
pedigreed  breeds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  swine  in  America.  The 
accepted  text  book  in  colleges,  and  the  authority  for 
farmers  and  breeders.  Illustrated.  371  pages.  5x7  inches. 
Cloth $1.50 

Clovers  and  How  to  Grow  Them 

By  THOMAS  SHAW.  This  is  the  first  book  published  which 
treats  on  the  growth,  cultivation  and  treatment  of  clovers  as 
applicable  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and 
which  takes  up  the  entire  subject  in  a  systematic  way  and 
consecutive  sequence.  The  importance  of  clover  in  the  econ- 
omy of  the  farm  is  so  great  that  an  exhaustive  work  on  this 
subject  will  no  doubt  be  welcomed  by  students  in  agriculture, 
as  well  as  by  all  who  are  interested  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil. 
Illustrated.  5  x  7  inches.  337  pages.  Cloth.  Net  >  ,  $1.00 

(13) 


Greenhouse  Construction 

By  PROF.  L.  R.  TAFT.  A  complete  treatise  on  greenhouse 
structures  and  arrangements  of  the  various  forms  and  styles 
of  plant  houses  for  professional  florists  as  well  as  amateurs. 
All  the  best  and  most  approved  structures  are  so  fully  and 
clearly  described  that  any  one  who  desires  to  build  a  green- 
house will  have  no  difficulty  in  determining  the  kind  best 
suited  to  his  purpose.  The  modern  and  most  successful  meth- 
ods of  heating  and  ventilating  are  fully  treated  upon.  Special 
chapters  are  devoted  to  houses  used  for  the  growing  of  one 
kind  of  plants  exclusively.  The  construction  of  hotbeds  and 
frames  receives  appropriate  attention.  Over  100  excellent 
illustrations,  especially  engraved  for  this  work,  make  every 
point  clear  to  the  reader  and  add  considerably  to  the  artistic 
appearance  of  the  book.  210  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth.  $1.50 

Greenhouse  Management 

By  L.  R.  TAFT.  This  book  forms  an  almost  indispensable 
companion  volume  to  Greenhouse  Construction.  In  it  the 
author  gives  the  results  of  his  many  years'  experience,  to- 
gether with  that  of  the  most  successful  florists  and  gardeners, 
in  the  management  of  growing  plants  under  glass.  So  minute 
and  practical  are  the  various  systems  and  methods  of  growing 
and  forcing  roses,  violets,  carnations,  and  all  the  most  impor- 
tant florists'  plants,  as  well  as  fruits  and  vegetables  described, 
that  by  a  careful  study  of  this  work  and  the  following  of  its 
teachings,  failure  is  almost  impossible.  Illustrated.  382  pages. 
5x7  inches.  Cloth $1.50 

Fungi  and  Fungicides 

By  PROF.  CLARENCE  M.  WEED.  A  practical  manual  con- 
cerning the  fungous  diseases  of  cultivated  plants  and  the 
means  of  preventing  their  ravages.  The  author  has  endeav- 
ored to  give  such  a  concise  account  of  the  most  important 
facts  relating  to  these  as  will  enable  the  cultivator  to  combat 
them  intelligently.  90  illustrations.  222  pages.  5x7  inches. 
Paper,  50  cents;  cloth $l.oo 

Mushrooms.     How  to  Grow  Them 

By  WILLIAM  FALCONER.  This  is  the  most  practical  work 
on  the  subject  ever  written,  and  the  only  book  on  growing 
mushrooms  published  in  America.  The  author  describes  how 
he  grows  mushrooms,  and  how  they  are  grown  for  profit  by 
the  leading  market  gardeners,  and  for  home  use  by  the  most 
successful  private  growers.  Engravings  drawn  from  nature 
expressly  for  this  work,  i/o  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth.  $1.00 

(16) 


The  New  Egg  Farm 

By  H.  H.  STODDARD.  A  practical,  reliable  manual  on 
producing  eggs  and  poultry  for  market  as  a  profitable  business 
enterprise,  either  by  itself  or  connected  with  other  branches 
of  agriculture.  It  tells  all  about  how  to  feed  and  manage, 
how  to  breed  and  select,  incubators  and  brooders,  its  labor- 
saving  devices,  etc.,  etc.  Illustrated.  331  pages.  5x7  inches. 
Cloth $Ii0o 

Poultry  Feeding  and  Fattening 

Compiled  by  G.  B.  FISKE.  A  handbook  for  poultry  keep- 
ers on  the  standard  and  improved  methods  of  feeding  and 
marketing  all  kinds  of  poultry.  The  subject  of  feeding  and 
fattening  poultry  is  prepared  largely  from  the  side  of  the 
best  practice  and  experience  here  and  abroad,  although  the 
underlying  science  of  feeding  is  explained  as  fully  as  needful. 
The  subject  covers  all  branches,  including  chickens,  broilers, 
capons,  turkeys  and  waterfowl;  how  to  feed  under  various 
conditions  and  for  different  purposes.  The  whole  subject  of 
capons  and  caponizing  is  treated  in  detail.  A  great  mass  of 
practical  information  and  experience  not  readily  obtainable 
elsewhere  is  given  with  full  and  explicit  directions  for  fatten- 
ing and  preparing  for  market.  This  book  will  meet  the  needs 
of  amateurs  as  well  as  commercial  poultry  raisers.  Profusely 
illustrated.  160  pages.  5  x  7^  inches.  Cloth.  .  .  .  $0.50 

Poultry  Architecture 

Compiled  by  G.  B.  FISKE.  A  treatise  on  poultry  buildings 
of  all  grades,  styles  and  classes,  and  their  proper  location, 
coops,  additions  and  special  construction ;  all  practical  in  de- 
sign, and  reasonable  in  cost.  Over  100  illustrations.  125  pages. 
5x7  inches.  Cloth $0.50 

Poultry  Appliances  and  Handicraft 

Compiled  by  G.  B.  FISKE.  Illustrated  description  of  a 
great  variety  and  styles  of  the  best  homemade  nests,  roosts, 
windows,  ventilators,  incubators  and  brooders,  feeding  and 
watering  appliances,  etc.,  etc.  Over  100  illustrations.  Over 
125  pages.  5x7  inches.  Cloth $0.50 

Turkeys  and  How  to  Grow  Them 

Edited  by  HERBERT  MYRICK.  A  treatise  on  the  natural 
history  and  origin  of  the  name  of  turkeys ;  the  various  breeds, 
the  best  methods  to  insure  success  in  the  business  of  turkey 
growing.  With  essays  from  practical  turkey  growers  in 
different  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  Copiously 

illustrated.     154  pages.    5  x  7  inches.    Cloth $1.00 

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.YB  47569 


